Warriors Orochi: The Judgment of Heaven
by ReinaBlaka
Summary: While on a patrol on the Shu-Wu border, Da Li and Zhao Yun run into Himiko and the legendary Dragon of Judgment, Pànduàn Shén. But when evil returns to the land, can they join forces to end the chaos? Crossover with Teddypro's WO: DoJ. Alternate Timeline.
1. Meeting a Legend

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Warriors Orochi, the Odigan War or Pànduàn Shén. I only own Da Li. Warriors Orochi belongs to KOEI, Pànduàn Shén and the Odigan War goes to the awesome Teddypro. Happy Birthday and I hope you enjoy!

**Warriors Orochi: The Judgment of Heaven**

**Chapter 1: Meeting a Legend**

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><p>Borders.<p>

The lines separating one kingdom's territory from another, the boundaries that all ambitious leaders seek to break; the rivers or stone walls that stand between vastly different domains, the places where potential dangers await. And one such fiery path, the dragon's spine that lies between the empires of Shu and Wu, is the starting place of our story.

It is autumn; the vast forest that lay between the kingdoms of the Dragon and Tiger had turned into a most spectacular scene of fiery colors and drifting gold. Leaves of yellow, orange and bright red, some still carrying a tinge of their greenness, fluttered on the boughs of the great trees—waiting for the wind to take them away. Already many of them had floated to the forest floor, covering the dirt with their warm hues; but most of them were still sailing in the air, creating such rain as never seen before. The chilly breeze blew, carrying with it several of the most colorful ones, and let them fall upon two figures walking amongst the breath-taking spectacle—a male and a female.

"Bored!" whined the female. She was a young girl, of perhaps eighteen years of age, with a small, lithe build and slender hips. Her skin was pale, so pale, actually, that it could be described as white; her large eyes were a brilliant violet, and there was a little black scar-mark over one of them. Her waist-length purple hair was pulled up into a high ponytail behind the velvet crescent-shaped hat she wore; which, in turn, had a flower ornament at one tip and a tassel hanging down from the other.

Despite the cold air of the season, the girl's attire showed much of her skin and complemented her figure. She wore a dark purple shawl patterned with white flowers, and it was tied in such a way that it only covered one of her shoulders and left the other one bare. Under that she wore nothing but three black straps covering her breasts and the center of her back, secured to her collar and belt; under the belt was another sideways-tied dark purple shawl embroidered with the same white flowers, serving as a sort of skirt. The maiden also had a metal ring-like object fitted around her waist, decorated with an assortment of jewels and decorations. She wore red skintight pants that showed much of her thighs and flared out at the bottom. As well as this, she also donned velvet bracers, fingerless gloves and a plate of silver armor on her bare shoulder to protect it. Slung over her covered shoulder were a most peculiar pair of chakrams: instead of the normal round shape, they were shaped like teardrops, with razor-sharp blades framing the elongated ends. They were inlaid with rubies and had velvet wrapped around the handles.

Strange as she was, the odd maiden also showed inhuman traits. Faint black markings could be seen on her face and body, and her pierced ears were pointed and furry. Her nails were long and sharp. Her feet were paw-like, vulpine; and most prevailing of all were the five fox-like tails that swished behind her, with smooth pinkish fur.

"Bored? I'm not." It was the male, replying. He looked like a direct opposite of his companion, normal as she was odd, but there was also an unmistakable air of braveness and righteousness about him. He was tall and was in his early twenties; with a handsome countenance, warm brown eyes, and long brownish hair tied in a pigtail. A green headband was tied around his forehead. Over his green top and white pants he wore light, shining white armor: white shoulder plates, white bracers, white chest-plate secured with a shoulder strap, and a white warrior's belt and waist protector, all bearing the outline of a golden dragon and trimmed with deep blue. A white flag-like cloth hung from under his belt and tailed behind him. His skin was a regular color, and in his hand he held his weapon—a long, slender spear, with a silvery gleaming tip reflecting the autumn sun. He looked to be a normal human and showed none of the vulpine features of his younger friend.

The scantily-clad fox girl heaved an exasperated sigh and raised her sharp-nailed hands to the back of her head, letting the blades of her teardrop chakrams clatter.

"You're not bored, but _I_ am!" She pouted. "Yeah, this forest is looking super and nature walks are great—but why can't I be back in Cheng Du with Lady Shang Xiang and my friends? I like being with them more!"

"Of course you would like to be with them more," said the male calmly, "and I understand that you are bored. But patrolling is very important work. This is the Shu-Wu border, Da Li, and we were told to keep a lookout here. Also, I'm your friend too, aren't I?"

"…Oh! How could I forget you?" the girl, who was obviously Da Li, blushed and clapped her hands over her mouth. "Of course you're my friend too, Zhao Yun! How could I not include you…?"

The male, Zhao Yun, smiled.

"…But, aren't Shu and Wu supposed to be friendly?" Da Li snapped out of her embarrassed expression and looked back at her fellow traveler with a frown, "Like, Lady Shang Xiang is from Wu and she's Lord Liu Bei's wife. How will there be danger on our borders if we're allies?"

"It's true that Shu and Wu are allies now, but that does not mean we can let down our guard." Said Zhao Yun. "No border is truly safe, Da Li. There are still bandits here and they might use the friendliness between us to pass safely into our domain. That's why we are here, to prevent bad people from coming."

"…I see. Not just a nature walk. But why didn't anyone let my buds from Lady Shang Xiang's guard come with us?"

Now it was Zhao Yun's turn to look embarrassed.

"I…don't know myself," He said, flushing. "But it was Lord Zhuge Liang's decision, so…"

"Zhuge Liang?" Da Li raised one eyebrow. "Why would he not let Li Hua or Mei Li come with me?"

"He must have his reasons." Zhao Yun concluded. "He is a man who always has a good reason with his decisions and judgment, so he must have his reasons with this too."

"But I don't see any good reason in not letting my buds come…"

"Well, that's the mysterious part about him. He knows a lot of things we don't, and most of his strange orders turn out to be life-saving. Who knows what will come out of this?"

"…Yeah."

Da Li had to agree. After all, the man with the feather fan _was_ a genius, and his actions were really confusing to those who did not understand him…just like a Mystic. And, as Zhao Yun said, there was no saying how his radical orders would save the day. The one thing that was certain was that they always did.

There was some moment of silence before Zhao Yun spoke up.

"You know, Da Li," he said, "Sometimes I just realize that you are so unlike your sister."

The comment caught the fox girl off guard. She stopped walking.

Of course she couldn't forget _that_. She didn't have violet hair and eyes, fox feet and five tails without a reason.

It just so happened that Da Ji, the most villainous of fox spirits, was her own older sister. Nobody could deny that, and it certainly didn't help. For because of it she had spent the entirety of the first five hundred years—and yes, she was that old, actually—of her life running and hiding from people who sought to hunt her. And it wasn't until the end of the bloody Orochi Wars that she finally ended her flight, and learned to become a real person.

And for taking her in and raising her, she was forever grateful to the warriors of Shu—including Zhao Yun—for their kindness.

Zhao Yun looked at her. "Really, I'm not kidding," he said. "You are her direct opposite. She's cold and calculating, but you're a pure soul and you are constantly trying to know everything. She's cruel, and you're innocent. Isn't that true?"

"…Yeah, you're right in some way…" Da Li slowly replied. But then she straightened up and gave a scowl to her partner. "But have now officially renounced my relationship with her, right? You should change the topic."

"Maybe I should," laughed Zhao Yun, realizing that he had slightly offended his companion. "Well, how about a chat?"

To his surprise, Da Li shook her head indignantly. "No," she said.

"…Why?"

"I wanna be with myself, once in a while." Da Li turned to the bright, beautiful forest. "Look, it's so wonderful in the forest at this time of the year, and I love to be a part of it. I won't go in too deep. Please, Zilong, please? May I?"

Zhao Yun sighed. "Alright," he said, but don't go in too far. I'll still be watching you, though, in case you get— "

But Da Li didn't wait. As soon as she heard approval, she raced away, instantly disappearing into the trees.

Zhao Yun shook his head. "Such a child she is," he breathed.

* * *

><p>Somewhere else in the same forest, surrounded by the same fiery-colored sea of leaves, were another pair of figures, again a male and female. But this time, it was in a clearing, and looking through the massive tree trunks and falling gold, it was hard to see what they looked like.<p>

It seemed that it was a sort of simple camp, with a charred pile of wood in the center still smoking, and it seemed that the male was packing it up. He looked to be in his twenties as well, and through the flurry of raining leaves and branches, his attire was vaguely gray and his hair a strange color—a mix of black and silver. A white cloth seemed to be wrapped around his head. He was whistling softly as he cleaned the camp up, obviously preparing to leave.

The female was close by, short, with white attire and two strange rounded things floating about her. Her hair was dark black, spiky, and she looked to be wearing jewelry. She was watching the male intently, as if to make a request.

"Pànduàn?" she spoke, "Can I go out for a while?"

"To do what?" replied the male. His voice was calm, and somewhat laid-back.

"To see all this scenery, of course!" said the female, faking her outrage. "Look, Pànduàn, this is the most beautiful time of the year in this place. I just want to look at all those leaves!"

"Alright, alright, you may go. But don't stray too far away, Himiko."

The female jumped with joy. "Thank you so much, Pànduàn!"

She ran off, the twin rounded objects following her. The male gave a small laugh.

"Always so energetic, Himiko," he said. "You are always so lovable."

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><p>Da Li sighed with relaxation. She was in the middle of a small gap in the trees, sitting on a large rock that, for some reason, had decided to place itself near the roots of the towering plants. The cool autumn breeze, carrying with it leaves so fiery and colorful that it seemed the gust chose to carry them because of their beauty, sang past her shoulders, ruffling her violet hair, making the tassel on her hat fly and feeling cold on her face. Her teardrop chakrams were leaned at the rock's base, blades shining, her vulpine feet resting near them. Her five tails twitched behind her, the pinkish fur ruffling as her hair did; she was enjoying every bit of the time by herself, in the gap between the trees, watching the leaves rain and the boughs cast their shadows.<p>

As much as she loved being in the company of others, she liked to be alone as well. After all, she had spent the first five centuries of her life this way, although there had always been a tinge of fear in the air back then. Now, everything was so peaceful, so perfect. Zhao Yun had spoken of bandits, using the friendliness between Shu and Wu to pass the border unharmed—but she couldn't picture them. She couldn't see them in her mind. Everything was looking too serene to bear anything that wasn't pleasant.

She was about to close her eyes, when she saw movement at the edge of her sight. Suddenly becoming alert, she whirled in the direction of the disturbance, just in time to see something white disappear behind a tree.

Were her eyes playing tricks on her?

No. She was certain she had saw something. Frowning, she leaned closer. Nothing. Whatever it was, it had hidden itself behind the tree well.

Slowly getting off her rock, Da Li stooped down and picked up one of her chakrams. Grasping the velvet-bound handle, she padded towards the tree, silently, without a sound. She started circling it, and then the thing moved again. A flash of white.

"No use hiding," she called. "I've already seen you. Come out!"

The leaves on the ground crunched, and a figure stepped out from behind the tree. Da Li's eyes went wide.

It was a young girl, short of stature and aged about eighteen. Her face was youthful, pretty, with a childish touch; but Da Li could tell from her features that she was bound to grow up into a very beautiful woman. Well…she _was_ a woman now, albeit a young one, a new one. Her hair was black, spiky, tied in a high ponytail not unlike her own, but with the ends sticking out in all directions like rays; decorated by a hair ornament shaped like the rising sun. A red ribbon patterned with white triangular patterns was tied around her forehead, covered by her bangs, with the decorative knots at the sides and the ends swishing about her face. Long sideburns framed her face. Her eyes were brown, deep brown, and under one of them was a symbol that looked like "99", but upon closer inspection it revealed to be the Yin and Yang signs.

The girl had a slim build and wore a simple skirt-like tunic trimmed with blue. She wore a necklace with jewels shaped to look like the halves of the Yinyang symbol. Her belt was a sash, a red one that was formed into a huge bow in the back, and the ends flowed down, tailing behind her. She wore blue leggings and boots that looked a bit too big for her to finish up. But her most prevailing feature was the two, white rounded objects that floated around her; painted with closed eyes and bearing gaping holes for mouths, seemingly held in the air by a mysterious force.

Both girls stayed silent for a long while as they studied one another; but it seemed that the more the other girl looked at Da Li, the more she frowned, as if she were remembering something. And it was starting to make her uncomfortable.

"…Who…are you?" said Da Li, finally breaking the silence.

"I might as well ask the same question. Who are you?" replied the girl.

"I want to know you first. What's your name?"

"I'm Himiko, the Shaman Queen." The girl said, matter-of-factly.

Da Li raised an eyebrow. "Queen? You look like—"

"I know that. Everybody says I look too young to be a queen, that I'm only a kid, blah, blah, blah. Annoying. I'm nineteen now, and I suppose I'm old enough for the title." The girl, dubbed Himiko, blew a strand of hair out of her face. "Now, mind telling me who you are?"

"I'm Da Li, from Shu."

"Shu?" Himiko cocked her head and frowned, "…You don't look like you come from Shu."

It was now Da Li's turn to blow a strand of hair out of her face. "I _am_ of Shu," she said. "Positive. Everybody out there calls me the Odd Maiden 'cause I'm the odd one out of them. Annoying. I'm part of Lady Sun Shang Xiang's handmaiden guard, you know, and I'm proud of it."

"Wow. Really?"

"Yep."

"You must be elite, then!"

"Of course I'm elite! Everybody in Lady Shang Xiang's guard is elite, mind you. I certainly went through a lot just to get a place there. Had to face down Guan Yu himself at some point…"

"…By the Mystics, you did!"

"One would be worried if I didn't!"

Himiko's eyes were starting to glint with admiration.

"How did you win over him?" she asked. "Did you have some tricks?"

"Me? Win over him? Simple. I pulled on his beard. Hard!"

Himiko's eyes widened. Then she put her hands on her belly…and burst out laughing.

"Heavens forbade! That's the funniest way of overcoming Guan Yu I've ever heard!"

She doubled over, tears rolling down her face, and the twin rounded things that floated around her tipped over as if they were laughing as well.

Da Li laughed along, laughing, in reality, at her own joke.

But she forgot that there were other people listening to her tall tales, too.

There was a symphony of crunching leaves as two figures burst into the clearing, attracted by their glee; one was Zhao Yun, frowning, and the other was a male that Da Li had never seen before.

Both girls stopped their laughing, abruptly. Both of them turned in the direction of the second male—and vastly different expressions crossed their faces, one of surprise, the other of confusion. Zhao Yun forgot whatever was making him frowning and joined them in their silent stare as well.

The newcomer was a man that was, like Zhao Yun, in his early twenties; he was tall, about five foot ten, and his hair was a most strange color—black mixed with gleaming silver. It was messy and long, with four long strands of it framing the sides of his face. His face was calm, with a most handsome complexion; but it was marred with his missing right eye, which was covered with a white cloth tied around his head. His good left eye was colored strangely too: a mix of sapphire blue and ruby red, combining to give him a fierce single-eyed gaze.

He wore a gray cloak that wrapped around him, but also hung behind him like a cape; with sleeves that ended at the elbows, and three black belts attached with a length of red silk circling it at stomach level. Under that he wore a thick black shirt, black pants, a gray belt around his waist, and high boots with two belts wrapped around them each in a sideways "V" shape. Another belt was wound diagonally around his chest, and yet another one was around his neck. Red bracers covered his forearms and the backs of his hands, with even more smaller black belts coiling around them. Da Li made a mental note that the boy surely had a thing for belts.

In the young man's hands was a pitch-black sword, a blade with strange gray symbols on it and a diamond shaped out of the metal forming a vague crescent in the tip. The entire hilt was wrapped in a white cloth that reached a good foot and a half after going past the weapon's pummel, and it was currently resting on its owner's shoulder.

For a moment, total silence reigned as the warriors looked at one another, the falling autumn leaves floating past them carelessly. But then the surprise on Himiko's face gradually melted into embarrassment, and her cheeks flushed until it was as red as a tomato.

"…Pànduàn?" she stammered.

_What __kind __of __a __name __is __that? _Thought Da Li, knowing that the word meant "judge" or "to judge".

"No…surely you aren't…?" the voice of Zhao Yun sounded behind her, carrying with it clear disbelief.

The man called Pànduàn raised an eyebrow, then lowered it, a smile appearing on his face.

"So," he said, his tone calm and somewhat laid-back. "We have some friends here now, do we?"

"Pànduàn!" Himiko jumped up, sprinting towards him in an instant, the twin floating rounded things following her just as swiftly. She plunged into his arms, to which he responded by holding her tightly, as if they were a couple.

Zhao Yun suddenly thrust the end of his spear into the ground. He then fell to his knees, which made Da Li turn to him in surprise—and raised his hands, clasping his right hand over his left fist in the gesture that all male warriors used when addressing one another with respect.

"I've heard so much of you," he said, apparently awed. "You…you must be the Dragon of Judgment!"

Da Li looked at Zhao Yun as if he were mad. "What…?"

"My lord has told me so much of your deeds!" he continued, seemingly oblivious now to the fox girl's presence. "But I never thought I would have the honor to meet you and your companion here, in this forest between the kingdoms of the Dragon and Tiger!"

Pànduàn laughed, holding Himiko ever more tightly. "And I've heard so much of you as well!" he exclaimed. "You must be Zhao Yun, Zhao Zilong of Changshan, the Young Dragon and one of the Five Tigers of Shu, no?"

"Indeed I am," said Zhao Yun, rising. "Again, it is such a pleasure and honor to be meeting you here, Lord Pànduàn Shén!"

Pànduàn shook his head. "No need for such formalities," he said. "'Pànduàn' is just fine."

Zhao Yun nodded, his face bearing an expression of true admiration.

"May I introduce to you my female companion here," he said, gesturing to Da Li. "This is Da Li, my friend, and an elite warrior of Lady Sun Shang Xiang's handmaiden guard. She is here with me to patrol this border."

He turned to her, ushering her forward. "Bow to him, will you?"

Da Li stepped forward, putting down her chakram and placing both hands on her right thigh. She bended her knees and lowered herself in the bow that all women, whether warriors or common folk, knew to perform to respected people. Including fox women like her too.

Pànduàn inclined his head in return. "A pleasure to meet you as well," he said to her. "I've heard of you also. Are you not the Odd Maiden, the Sister of Da Ji?"

Da Li straightened herself, wincing at the last part of the sentence. "Yes. I am," she said.

Himiko's eyes widened. Suddenly, she tore herself from Pànduàn's hold and jumped in front of Da Li.

"No wonder you looked so familiar!" she cried. "You are the younger sister of the person who deceived me!"

Da Li flinched. She always hated the moments when people would berate her because of her family relations. But when she raised her face again, she was surprised to see that Himiko's expression was not one of anger.

"…But, I forgive you for it," she said, much softer now, "I shouldn't be angry to you because your family's a mess. After all, if it weren't for your sister…" she went back into Pànduàn's arms, "…I wouldn't be with _him_ now. Right, Pànduàn?"

Pànduàn nodded. "That's right. You've become so much more mature," he said, smiling.

Da Li let out a sigh of relief. "That scared me a little," she said. "Well, at least people aren't creating crap over my family relations again."

"Nobody will," said Zhao Yun, placing a hand on her shoulder. "In fact, nobody ever did. My lord and I forgave you from the beginning. Well, except for Zhang Fei, at least."

"But he's learned to like me now, right?"

Zhao Yun smiled. "Yes, you're right about that." Then he looked back at Pànduàn, who was now holding Himiko in his arms again.

"Pànduàn," he said politely. "I have a proposal to make. Since I and Da Li have met you here by chance, I think it would be unfit if we were to part our ways again. Would you and Himiko accompany me and Da Li back to Cheng Du?"

"Cheng Du?" Pànduàn looked at Himiko, who flashed him an uncertain look. "Well, that's a nice offer, but I and Himiko have been living out our lives together in this wilderness with peace ever since the Odigan War ended. Are you sure you want to bring us with you to Cheng Du?"

"I am. Lord Liu Bei and the others would be very pleased to meet with you again. Besides, I believe that Lord Zhuge Liang would like to speak with you also."

Pànduàn looked to the sky. "Maybe…I haven't been meeting your lord ever since Himiko and I decided to go out and see the world."

He looked at Himiko. "What do you think, love?"

Himiko thought for a moment as both Zhao Yun and Da Li's eyes widened. "…I say we do!" she said. "I haven't been seeing Lady Shang Xiang in ages, too!"

Pànduàn nodded, then looked back at Zhao Yun. "Then it's settled. We both adjourn with you, Young Dragon."

Zhao Yun nodded back. "Then let's go. We start our journey back to Cheng Du now."

The four of them—Dragon of Judgment, Shaman Queen, Odd Maiden and Third of the Five Tiger Generals—then set out, walking along the dragon's spine separating the empires of Shu and Wu, out of the sea of fiery leaves that was the forest that lay between the kingdoms of the Dragon and Tiger, on a journey to the heart of the Dragon's Domain.


	2. A Hero's Welcome

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Warriors Orochi, Dynasty Warriors, Pànduàn Shén or the Odigan War. I only own Da Li and her buds. WO and DW go to KOEI, Pànduàn and his world go to the awesome Teddypro. I hope you enjoy!

**Warriors Orochi: The Judgment of Heaven**

**Chapter 2: A Hero's Welcome**

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><p>They've made it.<p>

After all those weeks of riding on horses and traveling through the Dragon's Domain—crossing streams, trekking mountains and camping under the bright shining stars—they've finally made it. Before them now, in the distance, they finally saw the stone walls and towers of the city they sought—Cheng Du, the capital of Shu.

Pànduàn and Himiko rode forward for a closer look, taking into their eyes the sight of the city they had not seen for almost a year. It brought back old memories, warming their hearts with the thought of meeting old friends and being among people again.

After a long moment of silence, Zhao Yun and Da Li also rode forward. The Young Dragon turned to Pànduàn.

"Let's go," he said. "To the city walls."

The Dragon of Judgment nodded and tugged his steed's reins. The group moved forward, making their way down a hill, and plunged into the tall grass that surrounded the city's fortresses.

It wasn't long before Da Li's fox-like ears pricked up, picking up a sound from afar.

"Hey people, look ahead!"she shouted, "Something's coming our way!"

All four of them looked up. At first nothing could be seen, but the sound grew louder until they were all certain it was the sound of hooves galloping through the grass. A dot appeared in the distance, and became larger; larger and larger until it became equally as clear that it was a group of people on horses, speeding towards them furiously.

In front of the new group appeared to be a man riding on a snow-white stallion. He was tall, dressed in emerald-green battle armor that was adorned with gold. The chest plates were sewn together with two lengths of red silk, and a white flag-like cloth hung from the back of his belt, flying behind him like some broad tail. His face, clear in complexion, was a work of art with all its handsome features, made all the better with his carefully-trimmed mustache and beard. His hair was hidden under his peculiar hat, which bore a shining ruby and looked like a cross between a crown and a helmet; only his dark brown sideburns showed, swishing about his face. His eyes were a plain chestnut brown, but everyone could see that it contained within it now an unspeakable joy. A golden sword carved with dragons on its handle was sheathed in his belt.

Flanking him were two even taller men, one riding a black horse and the other a beautiful red horse. The one riding the red steed was the tallest, and his face was stoic, with sharp carved features and a reddish tinge. His eyes were also brown, but fierce and shaped like those of a phoenix, a fiery bird of legend. A long and most elegant beard hung from his chin, tossing about his chest as he rode. He wore a green hat and green robes with heavy armor, with a dull golden dragon's head serving as his right shoulder plate, and in his hands he held a long and mighty polearm. The shaft of the weapon was carved with a dragon's head and coming out of the dragon's mouth was the blade itself, shaped like the beast's flaming breath; it shone and seemed to reflect years and years of unending battle.

The other man on the black horse was stout, grizzled, and battle-hardened. He too had a large beard, but not as long, and framed his entire face like a mane. His countenance was beastly with angry eyes that could make the strongest of warriors want to run and hide. His armor was just as grizzly-looking, with green-and-brown plates and a sash around his chest. His muscular arms showed and he held a large pike, with a wavering forked tip and what seemed to be serpents entwined near the top. His helmet bore a green-and-red cloth instead of a crest.

On the leftmost side was yet another man; he was considerably much more calmer-looking than the others and a clear air of wisdom and patience could be sensed around him. In some ways he did resemble the first man on the white stallion, as he too was handsome with carefully-carved features and a well-trimmed mustache and beard. His skin was a bit more pale, his eyes a paler shade of brown, and his hair was long and dark, with a decorative crest on top of his head. He wore a long pure-white robe with Yinyang symbols on the shoulders, and he wore it open to show the few armor—if any—underneath. He held a fan with a golden handle and white feathers as his most prevailing feature.

Yet among these four males there also appeared to be a female, and she stood out with her shorter stature and bright red attire. Her dark brown hair was cropped short, a red silk headband around her forehead; her face was youthful and beautiful, with brilliant eyes as green as the emerald armor of the man beside her. A flower pattern was embroidered on her vest and she wore red-and-black silk bracers and red pants. She held a pair of golden chakrams, but unlike Da Li's they were circular, inlaid with green jewels and framed with crescent-shaped blades.

The galloping group ground to a dusty halt a few feet from where Pànduàn and his group stood. They swiftly dismounted, dropping down into the waist-length grass, and started to run towards them.

The wide-eyed expressions the group had been holding on their faces now relaxed and melted into happiness and recognition. They too swiftly dismounted, and ran to meet their welcomers.

Pànduàn, Himiko and Zhao Yun sped towards the green-armored man in the front, with looks of joy upon their expressions. They ran into each other's arms, laughing for the glee of meeting each other after such a long time.

Pànduàn slapped his hand into the hand of the other man, chuckling.

"It's been such a while, Lord Liu Bei!" he laughed.

"Likewise, Lord Shén!" replied Liu Bei, for this was indeed the Lord of Shu. His chestnut-colored eyes were virtually flooding with his indescribable bliss, and accompanied with the wind that tousled the white hair crest of his hat, he looked as youthful and handsome as ever—a common trait among rulers, as they all tend to look years younger when happy.

"My lord!" Zhao Yun came in from the side, falling to his knees.

Liu Bei turned to him, smiling, "Good to have you back too, Zilong!"

Another sound of approach, and he shifted his attention to Himiko as the young Shaman Queen ran up to him with watery eyes.

"Lord Liu Bei!" she squealed.

"Oh, just look at you!" The ruler exclaimed. "You've grown so much since I last saw you…"

He looked past her to see the red-clad maiden locked in a tight embrace with Da Li, so tight that they looked like close sisters.

"I've missed you so much, Lady Shang Xiang!" the vixen maiden was crying.

"Me too!" responded the Princess of Wu, drawing up her sister-in-arms in an even tighter hug.

The three men in the back came forward as well, with the same look of elation and recognizing on their usually stern or plain faces.

"Lord Pànduàn Shén, it is most pleasant to be seeing you again after all this time. We have been thinking of you," smiled the man with the feather fan.

"Yeah! It's been nearly a Mystics-cursed year, hasn't it?" said the grizzled man, grinning.

"I could never have forgotten about your legendary skills, Dragon of Judgment," said the long-bearded man. "I am glad to be meeting you again!"

Pànduàn nodded, inclining his head towards them. "Greetings to you too, Lords Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Zhuge Liang."

Their lord in front clasped his right hand over his left fist in the male warrior's address of respect and bowed. The rest of his men followed suit, with the man called Zhuge Liang placing his fan on his chest and exerting a most respectful one.

"I had never even dreamed for Zilong to bring you and your companion back to us," said Liu Bei, rising. "I am truly elated to see you so well after all these months."

Pànduàn and Zhao Yun returned the gesture, with Himiko performing a bow. "Likewise, my lord. I see that you and your kingdom are doing well, too. You've improved your city walls."

"Huh?" Liu Bei looked over his shoulder, then turned back to the young warrior and laughed. "Oh, most certainly, Lord Shén! We've finished repairing the Southeastern Gate since the Odigan War's end, and I've ordered that the walls be fixed and reinforced. Your eyes are as sharp as ever, Dragon of Judgment!"

"Or rather, my single eye," Pànduàn corrected. But it was true that the walls of the capital city behind them were looking even stronger and darker than before. The stone bricks were more orderly and thick, and there also seemed to be more guards posted upon the high towers as well. Cheng Du had learnt to protect itself a lot since the war ended.

Liu Bei nodded, his expression softening. He turned to his lady, who had let go of Da Li and was now chatting with her—obviously about the events of the past journey. She looked up when her lord glanced at her, her emerald eyes shining.

"Da Li's telling me everything she was told," she said. "She's obviously fascinated in Pànduàn's story!"

"Of course she will be," he replied, somehow earning a little glare from Himiko. He looked at the fox girl. "You had fun, didn't you, little lady?"

"You're _still_ calling me that?" Da Li rolled her eyes. "Anyways, I did! I really did have fun! I couldn't have asked for more!"

The Lord of Shu smiled and gave his men a quick look. Then he turned back to the young Dragon of Judgment, whose single sapphire-and-ruby colored eye was shimmering.

"Lord Shén," he said. "We have talked enough out here; the autumn air is getting cold and I see that you and your companion need some rest. Would you like to come with me back to my palace? I would like to continue my conversation with you there."

"Of course," replied the young warrior, "We do have a lot more to talk about, do we?"

The ruler laughed and turned around, gesturing for the all of them to come with him. All taking the reins of their steeds, they began to walk through the tall grass towards the welcoming gates of Cheng Du.

* * *

><p>The autumn breeze blew by, filling the balcony on the palace of Cheng Du with a most relaxing sensation. A few colorful leaves flew in the air as Pànduàn and Liu Bei conversed, sitting on chairs facing the outside and occasionally bursting out in laughter.<p>

"Me and Himiko have really enjoyed ourselves out there," the Dragon of Judgment said cheerfully. "Everything is so peaceful and beautiful, unlike how it was back in the Odigan War."

"Of course," replied Liu Bei, absent-mindedly tugging on his short beard, "even here in Cheng Du, I can feel this beauty and serenity."

"No, it's no ordinary feeling," said Pànduàn. "Nature is so wonderful out here, especially at this time of the year. Himiko has already asked me several times whether I would let her go out by herself to see the leaves or not; she's fascinated by everything. I must say that I am captivated by this autumn scenery too."

"Likewise, Lord Shén. It seems that Nature has offered us this beauty to calm our souls after all these years of bloodshed, no?"

"Why, it does seem so!"

The two of them laughed together for a moment before Liu Bei spoke again.

"Say, Pànduàn," he said. "How have things gone between you and Himiko?"

"Oh, we've been as close as we'll ever be. I can be certain that we're an official couple now!"

"A couple?" Liu Bei's eyes widened. "Why, Pànduàn, congratulations!"

Pànduàn chuckled, blushing just slightly. "Thank you for that, Lord Liu Bei. Me and Himiko…we've been with each other for as long we can remember. Back in that final battle at my ruined village, I almost destroyed _everything_ just because I thought she was dead, and she confides in me so much because I gave her a second chance at life. Who's to say we are not close?"

"Hey!"

Both men looked up, surprised.

Right down the balcony, not far from where they were sitting, was Himiko.

"I thought I heard people talking about me," she said, running up to them. Strangely, the twin floating objects were not with her, and she looked like she had been wandering around the place for quite a while—as there was a tinge of boredom in her expression.

"Well, we _were_ talking about you…sort of," said Pànduàn, smiling. "Were you looking for someone to talk to?"

"Yeah. I'm looking for Da Li. Where is she?"

Pànduàn and Liu Bei exchanged looks for a brief moment.

"Da Li?" said the Lord of Shu, raising an eyebrow. "Uh, I'm not sure where she went, either. You wanted to talk to her?"

"I'm right here!" cried a new voice, this time from behind.

The three of them looked over their shoulders. Sure enough, the fox girl was there—peering through the balcony's doorway with her violet eyes shining.

"Da Li!" exclaimed Himiko. She ran up to her, somewhat cross. "I was looking all over the place for you! Where have you been?"

"You were looking for me?" Da Li blinked. "Oh well. As for where I've been, I've been a bit busy…"

"Busy with what?"

Da Li turned up her palms as if to say "voila!". "I was telling my buds about you!"

"Your buds? As in your friends from Lady Shang Xiang's guard?"

"Of course! I'm telling you, they want to see you and your friend_ very much_."

Pànduàn cocked his head. "Oh?"

Da Li turned to Liu Bei. "Lord Liu Bei? Mind I borrow Pànduàn and Himiko for a moment?"

"Sure, little lady," he said, smiling.

Da Li rolled her eyes again. "Whatever," she said. "Come on, Pànduàn and Himiko! I don't want my buds waiting!"

Looking at each other for a brief second, the Dragon of Judgment and his mate walked over to the vixen maiden and followed her away from the balcony, with the young warrior giving Liu Bei a look saying, _I__'__ll __talk __to __you __later._

The ruler of the Shu kingdom chuckled, remembering where they left off. He raised a hand and waved. As if on cue, his wife, Lady Sun Shang Xiang, appeared from the side and walked over to him, giving a little glance at the doorway after Da Li and her companions.

"What do you wish of me, my lord?" she asked.

"To talk, of course!" replied Liu Bei. "What better than to talk to one's love while one's friend is busy?"

* * *

><p>Da Li led Pànduàn and Himiko away from the balcony.<p>

Through a series of corridors they went, passing rooms and people. Eventually they stepped out of the main palace building and started to head for the eastern wing of the palace grounds.

"Your friends are from Lady Shang Xiang's handmaiden guard?" Pànduàn asked as they walked. "I've heard a lot about them. In particular about how they acted when Lady Shang Xiang first married Lord Liu Bei."

"That's not their most famous act," replied the Odd Maiden. "They've followed Lady Shang Xiang everywhere, even during the Orochi War. They've fought with her, hunted with her, done _everything_ with her. If I remember correctly, one of them is actually Lord Sun Quan's wife!"

"Really?" Himiko gasped. "I-I never knew Sun Quan had a wife!"

"He does!" said Da Li loftily. "All three children of Wu ruler Sun Jian are married off to the best-looking people in the land. Lady Bu is no exception! But mind you, if you call her that she'll have to kill you."

"Looks like Lord Sun Quan is truly still worried for his sister, to give his wife to her as a guard," remarked Pànduàn.

"Yeah. This is why Lady Shang Xiang still likes to call him 'The Hawk' because of his watchfulness over her. But Lady Bu is in Wu; she isn't here. Before she came here to be with Lord Liu Bei, Lady Shang Xiang told her to stay with her husband, and that's where she is right now. I only get to see her during New Year. She's real good-looking, if you'd like to know…"

"Wait," said Pànduàn. "If calling her 'Lady Bu' will invoke her wrath upon me, what should I call her, assuming that I have the chance to meet her?"

Da Li thought for a moment. "Call her Lian Shi," She said quickly.

"Hey!"

The three of them stopped and looked up. Up ahead, a few feet from where they were standing, were two women next to what seemed to be a large wooden tiger with wheels.

One had reddish shoulder-length hair and wore a white battle dress and green boots. Twin golden shoulder plates covered her shoulders, and she held a long-handled _ge_, or dagger-axe. Upon closer inspection, it appeared she wore a headpiece that sported a ruby and green ear guards. There also appeared to be a red spot on her forehead above her eyes.

The other woman was younger-looking and had short chin-length black hair that flared out at the ends. She wore a short battle skirt colored white and green and held a large shield and what seemed to be a very large fork.

The woman with the _ge_ was waving at them. "Hey there!" she was shouting, with a smile on her face. "Is it Lord Pànduàn going there?"

Pànduàn chuckled. "No need to add the word 'lord' before my name," he shouted back, "And, yes, it is me going there, Lady Yue Ying!"

"Why, I just knew it would be you!" replied the woman called Yue Ying. "I was working on my Juggernaut with Xing Cai, and then I just saw you walking there! When did you come back?"

"Just today!" said Pànduàn. "Da Li's leading us to meet her friends. Say, how's your work going?"

"So far going good!" said Yue Ying. "My husband has improved his arbalest. I can't fall behind in my inventions, so I've made modifications to the Juggernaut's flamethrower mechanism so its flames will be twice as powerful!"

"They're always competing with each other, aren't they?" asked Himiko softly.

"Yeah," replied Da Li as Pànduàn continued to converse with the Wife of the Sleeping Dragon.

"Well, that's good then!" he shouted. "I've got to go now. Wish you good luck on your test run!"

"Likewise!" Yue Ying shouted back. She turned to the wooden tiger, or Juggernaut, and spoke a command. Immediately, scorching flames shot out of the mechanical feline's mouth a good few feet.

"Wow," whispered Himiko.

"We'd better get going," said Da Li as she began to walk away. Pànduàn and his Shaman Queen companion followed.

* * *

><p>A while later, the trio came to a little room. They were in one of the many corridors of the eastern wing, staring at the closed door. Da Li was in front.<p>

"Stay outta the way, people," she said. "I don't wanna give my buds any spoilers."

"But, didn't you tell them beforehand that we're coming?" asked Himiko.

"Come on, they've never seen you two before for real. Shhh!"

The fox girl pushed Himiko and Pànduàn behind her, then opened the door a crack. She widened it enough for her to put her head through and peered in.

"Right, sorry to be keeping you guys waiting," she called inside. "But they're here now!"

"Really? You positive?" a voice inside asked.

"Positive! They're right behind me now! Wanna see them?"

"Yes! Da Li, let them in!"

"Alright…" suddenly, without warning, Da Li flung the door wide open. She stepped to one side, holding out her hand in a "ta-da" gesture.

"…Meet my buds!"

Pànduàn and Himiko stepped forward and looked into the room. Their eyes widened.

Before them was a gaggle of about ten girls dressed in red, yellow and white uniforms. They had a wide assortment of different hairstyles and accessories. One wore her hair in braids. Another had it pulled up into a bun with hairpins sticking out of the sides. Some of them carried sheathed swords, others daggers. It was an amalgam of young female warriors, all with their own styles and weapons of choice. Yet there were some of them that stood out from the rest.

For instance, there was one girl whose uniform's color was considerably darker than the others; and, much to Pànduàn's interest, there was a white bandage around her right eye, exactly like himself. Her good eye was a light brown color. Strangely, there seemed to be bronze _coins_ strung around her belt—there were so many kinds of them, both current and ancient, that it seemed she carried with her a personal coin collection.

One maiden that caught Himiko's attention was one that stood to the left. Her skin was tanned, as if she had come from a place with much sunshine; her hair was in dreadlocks and she had a piece of tiger skin under her belt. She looked much taller than all the others, and somehow she looked a little barbarian, which scared Himiko just a teeny bit.

But it was apparent that one pair of them were definitely not following the uniform norm. They were dressed in white and green, with white dresses and emerald-colored sashes around their waists and shoulders. It was obvious that they were twins, as they almost looked like virtual clones of each other: same attire, same brown eyes, same long jet-black hair tied in pigtails, even same expressions. The only thing that made them differ from one another was their jewelry. One wore jewelry that resembled the Yang half of the Yingyang symbol; the other wore jewels that resembled the Yin half. Somehow, they eerily bore resemblance to Liu Bei.

The maidens first stared at Pànduàn and Himiko, some of them turning to one another and exchanging whispers; but then all of a sudden they stood up…and burst into greeting.

"Hi there!"

"Hello!"

"Hi!"

"_Konichi __wa_!"

"Welcome!"

The whole chamber filled with their shouts of friendliness as they waved and smiled and yelled out their admiration. Some jumped up to get attention; others stepped forward and held out their hands. It was a chorus of welcoming with a tinge of fangirling to it.

Pànduàn raised his eyebrows. It was the first time he had ever received such a greeting. He wasn't used to it. Himiko was clinging to him as if she was uncertain of what to do, but just then Da Li came to the rescue.

The fox girl stepped in between them, her five tails curling behind her. She raised her hands in a gesture for her friends to quiet down.

"Goodie, people, goodie," she said, "calm down, no fangirling. Give our friends some space to breathe."

Instantly the girls quieted down, sitting obediently before their vulpine sister-in-arms. Da Li turned to Pànduàn and gave him a slight look of worry.

"Are you ok?" she asked quietly.

Pànduàn shook his head, unfazed. "It's alright," he replied.

Da Li gave a breath of relief and turned back to her buds.

"Right, people," she said, raising her voice. "Would you like to introduce yourselves to our new friends here?"

One of the maids stood up. She was the one with her hair in a bun decorated with hairpins.

"My name is Li Hua. I am from Wu and I am Lady Shang Xiang's right-hand maid!"

The girl with the missing eye and coins on her belt stood up. "I'm also from Wu," she said, with a slight shyness to her tone. "My name is Mei Li. I am Lady Shang Xiang's left-hand maid."

Pànduàn's eye brightened. "Ah, so you are Lady Shang Xiang's closest guards?"

"Yes we are!" said the girl called Li Hua, proudly.

"Why, that's nice!" Pànduàn turned to the other one-eyed girl, Mei Li. She looked up with a plain face, but raised an eyebrow when she saw that the warrior before her also had a missing right eye.

"You're like me?" she asked.

"Sort of. I lost my eye in a fight. How about you?"

Mei Li dipped her head. "I lost mine to a wolf."

"Heavens forbade! How did that happen?"

"…I just got lost in the forest and the wolf attacked me. It happened when I was very little."

Sympathy crossed Pànduàn's face. He knew how it felt like to lose an eye.

He turned to Li Hua, who was obviously more of an outgoing person. "How long have you and Mei Li served Lady Shang Xiang?"

"Ever since she was little!" she replied, thrusting out her chest. "We've been following her everywhere for the past nine years!"

"Wow, such distinguished service!" Pànduàn remarked. "You must be very close to her!"

"Of course. I and Mei Li are like sisters to her. We are an inseparable trio!"

Pànduàn laughed. "That's really quite interesting. Really!"

Himiko let go of her companion and went off to talk to the maiden with dreadlocks.

"Uh, hi," she said to the towering girl before her. "What's your name?"

"My name is Xi He," replied the maiden. "I'm named for the sun goddess that drives the sun chariot across the skies every day."

"Cool. Where are you from?"

"I'm from Nanman. The Land of the Jungle."

"Wow!" Himiko's eyes widened. "Does that mean you are, like, real tough?"

"Of course I am!" Xi He laughed, "All my people are tough. Living in the jungle is serious business!"

Now that she was so close to her, Himiko was beginning to see more details of the tribal girl's appearance. She saw that her long, thick dreadlocks were braided with all sorts of beads and had large silver rings at the ends. She saw her rather muscular physique, and her necklace of sharp animal teeth on her neck.

"How long have you been with Lady Shang Xiang?" she asked, feeling rather small.

"Eight years. I joined her not long after she started to form her handmaiden group."

"That's a long time!"

"Yep. I'm kind of like the 'strongman' of the guard. I can do most of the heavy lifting. Like moving rocks and stuff."

"Wow. But, don't people consider you to be very rough, then?"

"Oh, no. I can read and write. I'm never rough. You don't have to be scared of me."

"Oh."

Himiko turned around, just in time to see another maiden before her. She jumped.

The girl laughed. "Oh, I'm not that scary!"

"But you just came behind me without me noticing!" said Himiko. "What's your name?"

"I'm Japanese," said the girl. Her hair was in a ponytail, with long sideburns. "My name is Sanada Shizuka."

"Sanada? You mean you are related to Sanada Yukimura?"

"Yes. I am of his clan, but I'm more of a distant relative to him."

"Mystics forbade!" Himiko's eyes again widened with admiration. "You must be a great warrior!"

"I am." Shizuka patted her belt, which held a sheathed katana. "But I'm more on the ninja side. I'm very quick."

"When did you become part of Lady Shang Xiang's guard?"

"Just recently! I began following her around since the Great Merging. Since I followed and helped her so much, she let me join." Shizuka smiled. "That means I'm a more recent member. Like Da Li."

Himiko nodded. "It's real nice meeting you two," she said, grinning.

"Likewise," replied Xi He and the Sanada maiden together.

Himiko turned around to see the twin green-clad girls with the Yinyang jewelry talking to Pànduàn.

"My name is Liu Yin!" said the one with the Yin-half jewelry.

"My name is Liu Yang!" said the one with the Yang-half jewelry.

"We're relatives of Lord Liu Bei!" they said in unison.

"Really! You are related to him?" Pànduàn exclaimed.

"Yep. In some way or another—"

"—we are of his clan!" finished the other twin.

"We originally lived with him, but at the battle at Chang Ban—"

"—we were captured by the Wei guys—"

"—but now that Shu and Wei are friends after the Orochi War, Cao Cao has returned us to him!"

"You finish each other's sentences!" Pànduàn looked between the girls. "You two must be identical twins, right?"

"We are!"

Pànduàn turned to Da Li, chuckling.

"Such interesting buds you have, Da Li!" he said. "Thank you so much for bringing me and Himiko here to meet them. It was a most interesting experience, getting to know this team of different backgrounds."

Da Li blushed slightly. "It's nothing," she said. "But I just thought that it would make for a great hero's welcome!"

Pànduàn shook his head. "I am no hero," he said. "I am just a man doing what he needs to do. A man doing everything he can to help others. But I still thank you, Da Li. You are becoming one of our best friends already."

"Thank you too, Pànduàn." Da Li smiled. "I guess I can count you and Himiko as my buds now. You two both should be."


	3. The Red Moon

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Warriors Orochi, Dynasty Warriors, Pànduàn or his world. I only own Da Li and her buds. WO and DW belong to KOEI, Pànduàn and his world belong to the awesome Teddypro. Oh, and Mid-Autumn Festival is a real festival, I didn't make it up. I hope you enjoy, and happy Christmas!

**Warriors Orochi: The Judgment of Heaven**

**Chapter 3: The Red Moon**

* * *

><p>Himiko was alone.<p>

She was sitting on the edge of a pool in the Cheng Du palace grounds. Her feet dangled just above the cool, clear water, the fish under the surface wondering about who was the big, white-clad girl that had suddenly came so close to them. Now that it was autumn, there were no blooming lotuses; just a few dry leaves floating lifelessly around, accompanied by the brighter, more colorful tree leaves.

In the distance, she could see the figures of two girls playing around; they were easy to pick out because of their green attire. Himiko recognized them. They were Liu Yin and Liu Yang, the twin sisters whom she and Pànduàn had met a few days ago. They were chasing each other through the trees, frolicking like any other pair of young maidens would. Looking at them now, it was a bit hard to believe that they were actually relatives of Lord Liu Bei.

Himiko sighed. The past few days in Cheng Du had been rather dull. Apart from learning a lot more about the members of Sun Shang Xiang's handmaiden guard, it had mostly been her spending time with Pànduàn, or sitting all by herself. Needless to say, she was bored. But there was one thing in her mind that quelled that boredom:

The Mid-Autumn Festival.

She hadn't heard about it before; but it was a celebration held in the middle of autumn to admire the full moon and celebrate as a family. Even the rulers and warriors of the Three Kingdoms celebrated it, and now the people of Japan to the very east were also starting to pick up some Mid-Autumn traditions. Usually it was a big get-together of family members and a big feast, but there were also supposed to be dances and all sorts of performances too. And there was also the legend behind all of it. It was beautiful, especially when it was Zhuge Liang, the Shu strategist, who had told it to her.

The legend said that once there were ten suns in the sky, and their heat rendered the people unable to live. So the Mystics sent the best archer, Hou Yi, to save the world. Hou Yi pulled out his bow and arrows, and, with amazing accuracy, shot down nine of the ten suns, leaving only one in the sky. That made him a great hero, of course, and he soon won the heart of a maiden named Chang'e. They married and made their home on earth.

As a gift to him, the Mystic Xi Wang Mu gave Hou Yi an elixir that made the drinker immortal. Hou Yi longed to be a Mystic, but he could not leave his wife behind, so he gave the elixir to Chang'e for safekeeping. Soon, however, he began to have followers with him, and one follower learned of the elixir and wanted it for himself. So one day when Hou Yi was away, he broke into the house and tried to force Chang'e into giving him the magic drink. Chang'e saw no other way; she took out the elixir and drank it all up. Her mortal essence was burned off her and she floated into the sky. She went to the moon, where she became a Mystic, leaving her husband behind.

Zhuge Liang had gone on to say that the festival arose as a result of Hou Yi's sorrow over the loss of his wife. When Himiko commented that the story was sad, he had waved his feather fan and smiled.

"Sometimes joyful things arise from tragedies," he said. "Mid-Autumn Festival is a time where we celebrate our time together as a family. Although the legend tells of loss, the festival carries the message that we can all be reunited, no matter how far we are from each other."

Mid-Autumn Festival was a very important event to the warriors of Shu and Wu, as it was a time for the two kingdoms to meet and celebrate. With Liu Bei and Sun Shang Xiang's marriage, the kingdoms of the Dragon and Tiger were now not only allies, but a family as well. It had become their tradition to gather at the city of Jingzhou on the Shu-Wu border, to feast and hold their celebrations. That meant it was also one of the few chances for Lady Shang Xiang to see her family. The festival was coming within a week or two, so everybody was very excited about it. Including Himiko.

Ever since the Odigan War ended, she and Pànduàn had not been able to see their Wu kingdom friends, and she was missing them very much. She still remembered that they were the very first warriors of the Three Kingdoms to welcome her and Pànduàn into their cause. She still remembered Lady Shang Xiang's brothers and father, especially her eldest brother, Sun Ce.

Yes...how could she forget him? The crown prince of Wu had been the very first person to house them in his sanctuary, and it was him who got her to kiss Pànduàn for the first time—even if it was a joke. She could recall his hotheaded personality and his energy. She couldn't wait to see him and his wife Da Qiao again.

And there were the people from Wu that she hadn't met. Da Li had told her that Lord Sun Quan, Sun Ce's younger brother, had a wife by the name of Lian Shi. If the Mid-Autumn gathering was coming so soon, surely she would be able to meet her? Himiko couldn't help wondering what the lady would be like. Would she be kind? Tough? Fun-loving?

She was thinking about all of this, when suddenly a person walked up behind her.

"Himiko?"

It was Da Li. Himiko already knew that voice. She turned around, and sure enough the fox maiden was standing there, with her violet eyes and sideways purple shawl.

"Can I sit beside you?" she asked.

"Sure." Himiko said, patting the space beside her.

Da Li slipped in next to her. Her paw-like feet touched the water, scaring the fish. One of her tails curled up onto her thigh, letting her stroke the smooth, pink fur. The other four rested on the ground behind her.

She held up the tail on her thigh. "Want to touch it?"

Himiko reached out her hand, feeling the smoothness of the fur. Somehow, it almost felt like touching a fur coat; it was so thick and warm. And it was also so alive. When it twitched, it seemed to have a mind of its own. She withdrew her hand, watching as Da Li stroked it like a pet cat.

"You know, Himiko," Da Li said, "I've heard all these things about you. You do seem to be a very interesting person."

"Really?" Himiko shifted herself closer to the fox girl. "In what way?"

"I've heard that you are supposed to be a descendant of the Mystics," Da Li replied, smiling. "Is that why you are so lovable to everyone?"

Himiko blushed. "Uh…I guess so."

Da Li laughed. "No wonder Pànduàn speaks about you like that."

Himiko's eyes widened at the mention of her companion. She turned to Da Li. "What?"

"Did I catch you off guard?" Da Li laughed further. "Looks like you're very sensitive on that topic."

"No I'm not!" Himiko said indignantly. "I do love Pànduàn! He was the first person to really care for my sake, unlike all the false love I received before. He felt sorry for me. He knew how I felt. He gave me a second chance at life, and he's protected me, done so much for me…"

"And you've done a lot for him too," Da Li said, continuing the sentence. "You've been _his_ first bud ever since he lost his family. You've given him someone to love again. People like him really need a soulmate to love. He can confide in you, have a person to talk to. And you've given him some hope in life as well."

Himiko lowered her head and nodded. Then she looked up, this time straight into Da Li's eyes.

"The way you talk," she exclaimed. "It reminds me so much of Lady Shang Xiang!"

Da Li raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

"Yes! Back in the Odigan War, Lady Shang Xiang used to talk to me like that when I was uncertain about my love to Pànduàn. I still remember it clearly. It helped me a lot!"

Da Li blushed slightly. "You think I'm like her? Oh well. But, really, I do think you've done a lot for Pànduàn, just as he's done a lot for you. You two are a fitting couple."

"Yes, we are. Actually, I think we were made for each other." Himiko looked down into the water below, at the frantic fish. "After all this time I've spent with him…it's almost like the Mystics willed us to be together. No. Not the Mystics. It must have been our very destinies!"

Da Li sighed and laid an arm on the young Shaman Queen's shoulders. "I've heard a lot of love stories," she said. "In particular those about Lord Liu Bei and Lady Shang Xiang. But your story with Pànduàn has to be the best."

Himiko looked up again. "You really think so?"

"Yes I do." Da Li pulled her closer in a friend's hug. "You two are the ultimate couple. And with Mid-Autumn holidays coming, I guess it'll be the time for you two to have the ultimate celebration."

Himiko nodded dreamily. She could definitely imagine herself with Pànduàn under the breathtaking Mid-Autumn moon, exchanging words of love, enjoying the moment of peace with the land free of war; she could almost see Sun Ce in the background, laughing, with Sun Quan trying to quiet him down and with Lady Shang Xiang smiling. She wondered if Chang'e would be watching them from her place on the moon, remembering her husband with a tear rolling down her cheek; and she wondered if Pànduàn's deceased parents would be watching them too, feeling proud that their living son had found his soulmate and his place in the world.

Suddenly two weeks seemed too long to her. Now she could barely wait for the festival to come, to follow everyone to Jingzhou and share this moment with Pànduàn. She stared off into the distance, past the autumn trees and the running figures of Liu Yin and Liu Yang, dreaming…

"Hey, Himiko."

Himiko awoke with a jolt, shaking her head clear of the vision. She looked up at Da Li, who was smiling at her. She instantly turned tomato-red.

"Uh, sorry…I was getting a bit lost in thought…" she murmured.

"It's alright. I sometimes do that too." Da Li patted her on the shoulder. "I was just going to ask. How do Lord Liu Bei and the others think of you and Pànduàn?"

"They think of us as friends and allies. And heroes." Himiko drew up her knees, wrapping her arms around them. "They really admire us, especially Pànduàn. The people of the land love us too; we're like savior figures to them. But Pànduàn's very modest. He often says he's just a man doing what he needs to do. That's also why I love him so much. I love him for the way he is."

Da Li nodded. "I've been hearing this from Lords Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang as well. They all say Pànduàn is a very righteous and humble man. From the way he told Zhao Yun and Yue Ying not to call him a lord, I could see that."

"He's always that way," said Himiko, "he doesn't like to be called by formal titles. One's because he's so modest, and the other because he doesn't want to be reminded of the tragedy that happened to him sixteen years ago."

Da Li's eyes filled with sympathy. Of course she knew now that the Dragon of Judgment had lost his family to a massacre before he was supposed to rule his home village.

"I really feel sorry for him," she said. "Sometimes I wonder how he can even carry on with life knowing this."

"I used to wonder about that myself," said Himiko, dipping her head. "But he knows that there is still a bright side to life. And he's got me. Like you said, I was the first person to become his friend ever since he was orphaned. I sometimes feel like I've become his only hope…" She closed her eyes. "I still remember that day when I almost died, back in the Odigan War…he became so enraged that he almost destroyed everything around him…"

"But you survived," said Da Li. "He's got you now. And I'm sure you two will be together forever."

"Forever?" Himiko looked up.

Da Li flushed. "Ah, kind of. At least that's how most stories I've heard end, but I wish you two the same!"

"Why, thank you, Da Li!" Himiko snuggled in even closer to the fox maiden. "You've been such a great friend to me those days. Thank you so much…"

Da Li laughed. "That's what buds are for," she said. All five of her tails now curled around the Shaman Queen, surrounding her in warmth and smoothness.

The two of them remained there, looking into the distance, watching the twin Liu sisters dance each other around the trees for a long time.

* * *

><p><em>Pànduàn was smiling.<em>

_He wasn't in the real world now. Everything around him was dark, surreal; covered in a mysterious mist. No light was to be seen. The palace rooms of Cheng Du had completely vanished now; he was now in another world, another reality that existed only inside his own mind and being._

_He was dreaming._

_He could've been confused. He could've been scared. But he was not. He was smiling. He was now filled with an unspeakable joy. For what he saw now before him was something he had not been able to see for sixteen years._

_A few feet from where he stood were a man, a woman and a child. The man was middle-aged, bearded, with black-and-silver hair just like his own, but tied in a ponytail behind him. He wore a long silver-colored overcoat with dark-colored armor beneath, and boots strapped with belts. He held a polearm glowing with holy light and his sky-blue eyes shone with fatherly affection._

_The woman was younger, with pure-black hair and green eyes. She wore leather armor and a navy-blue cloak with a hood, as well as a bluish-green sash around her waist. Her boots were identical to that of the man. The child was in her arms; he looked to be about two years of age, and he eerily resembled the way he himself looked. The three of them were all smiling back at him._

_Pànduàn could recognize these people from anywhere. He could never have forgotten them. Ever._

_"Mother! Father! Brother!" shouting with joy, he lost control of himself as he burst forward, running towards them, plunging into their embrace. They returned the gesture; they felt warm, even though they were only spirits of the people they once were to him._

_Tears of pure happiness rolled down Pànduàn's cheeks as he held his lost parents tight. His young brother laughed and reached out to him._

_The man chuckled. "Son, we meet again," he said cheerfully._

_"We have been watching you," said the woman, motherly love flooding from her eyes. "It has been such a long time."_

_Pànduàn sniffed and drew back, taking into his single eye the people whom he had lost and had never seen for sixteen years. It felt so unreal now, to be seeing them after all this time; yet it also seemed so real to him. He was overcome with his emotions._

_"Mother, Father," he said, wiping his tears away, "Is there a reason for which you have come to see me?"_

_"Indeed we have," said his father, setting his polearm aside. "For two reasons, one grave and one joyful. We will tell you the joyful one first."_

_The three of them gathered around him._

_"We are proud of you, son," he said, gleaming. "Very, very proud. We were unable to see you, but I cannot describe how proud I am of you now. You have found your soulmate and your place in this world. This is what we were wishing for you all along, and we are happy now that you have become such a man."_

_"We are not the only people to share this pride," said his mother. "The warriors of this land are happy for you too. And the celebrations are coming, dear son. You will have the chance to celebrate with your love and share your moments with her, in the eyes of your closest friends."_

_His younger brother just giggled, but he could sense that the little boy was happy for him, too._

_Pànduàn grinned. "Thank you, Father and Mother. Thank you for coming to share this joy with me."_

_His father nodded. "Now we will tell you the graver reason," he said, his face suddenly becoming serious. "Son. This you will have to listen to carefully."_

_He leaned closer to his son and spoke, quietly but clear:_

_"Your enemy is returning."_

_Pànduàn's eyes widened. Of course he knew who his enemy was. He and his friends had been fighting against him for the past year…_

_"Are you sure, Father?" he asked, frowning. "I know he is bound to return and that I must keep myself ready, but so soon?"_

_"Indeed so soon," said his mother, somewhat sadly. "He has made his comeback much earlier than we expected."_

_Pànduàn frowned further. "How?"_

_"There must be a reason to this, dear son, but we are not clear." His father tugged on his bushy beard. "But we do know that he will return in the most unexpected of ways. We came here to warn you of this, son. You must prepare for the worst."_

Prepare for the worst_. The words rang clear in Pànduàn's mind, echoing._ Prepare for the worst_._

_He shook the echoes away and looked at his parents. He placed a hand on his chest._

_"I will, Father and Mother," he said, solemnly. "I will."_

_His parents nodded. "Then we wish you good luck, son," he said. "The Netherworld now calls us. We must take our leave. But before we do, there is something we need to show you."_

_"It is very important," said his mother. "Do not disregard it. You must remember every detail."_

_With that, the three of them disappeared into the darkness._

_Before Pànduàn could react, he felt himself being pulled away by a mysterious force. He felt himself going faster and faster, until everything was a chaotic blur. He felt himself, falling, deeper and deeper…_

_And the next thing he knew, he was in a room._

_Not a room from the palace of Cheng Du. It was another room, an unfamiliar room. But it was decorated most elaborately. There was a gold incense burner, with fragrant smoke emerging from it; there was the sculpture of a phoenix, made of bronze, perched in a most elegant pose. Tapestries depicting the legendary bird adorned the walls, showing it soaring among the clouds, leading the other winged beasts…_

_And before him now were people. People that he had never seen before._

_One of them was a man, tall, in his late thirties. His face was serious; handsome, but in a most imposing and stern way. His eyes were brown, but pale, cold; resembling the earth covered with frost. His beard and mustache were well-trimmed and his hair was tied in a neat top knot, capped with an ornate jeweled crest._

_He wore a regal-looking gown colored deep blue, with white sleeves and a bright red shoulder-and chest guard, decorated with gold. The collars of his clothing were high so it went up to his chin. He wore silver chain-mail armor at his waist and under his belt, but aside from that not much else protection. In some ways he looked like a direct opposite of Liu Bei: While the Lord of Shu had a calm face, his was almost always locked in a permanent frown; while the former's appearance was somewhat humble, he was grand, emperor-like, and there was an air of ambition and cunning about him. In childish terms he looked like an evil twin to the ruler of Shu. His arms were now crossed in front of his chest._

_Standing in front of him were two other men, both looking much younger. The first had his dark hair tied in a pigtail like Zhao Yun, and wore metal armor and a long, dark-blue cape. He looked a lot like the man before him; his face was almost the same, only without the facial hair. The other had a short cape over one of his shoulders and much lighter-colored brown hair tied in a top knot. He wore long black pants with gold stripes on the sides, a white top and black gloves. He held what seemed to be a long, slender stick in his hand, made of shining steel, resembling a baton._

_There also seemed to be a woman standing among the second pair of men as well. She had one hand on the first man's shoulder. She was tall, Junoesque, of amazing beauty and dressed like any high-ranking mistress. Her hair was in a bun decorated with a thin golden hairpin, adorned with a flower-like pink fluff on one end. Her dress was dark purple mixed with black, with fiery-colored petals coming out of her collar; chained jewels also hung at her waist. She wore high heels and held what looked like a long flute in her other hand, embellished with golden blade-like extensions._

_The man with his arms crossed was speaking. "I told you, son," he was saying, his voice stern and somewhat menacing, "We have been through all these months of war against Orochi, unable to start our conquests. Now is the chance for us to strike. Why do you oppose me?"_

_"Father," said the young man with the dark-blue cape. "I know that your intention is to fulfill our ambition and make this land our own. I understand. But the other kingdoms are now our friends now, as are the people of Japan. Would it not be betrayal if we attack them now?"_

_"It is this so-called betrayal that we need," said the first man, raising his voice. "They will be taken by surprise. Only then we shall be able to overcome them!"_

_"I know, Father, but you have been such a friend to the other factions in the land these months following the wars. You were even considerate enough to attend the meetings on how to deal with the Odigan Rebels. The land is now united, Father, not by a single empire but by an alliance, a friendship. The Orochi War has brought us together in this fellowship. You told me that you planned to wait until you would regain your desire for conquest. But why now, Father? Why now when the land is peaceful? The land will suffer and the rulers of the other kingdoms will curse you for your unfaithfulness."_

_"Son!" The first man, the father, now raised his voice even further. "Those other kingdoms will not curse me. If I do not suppress them now, they will close in on us themselves! Now with Shu and Wu in such an alliance, and with the clans of Japan supposedly also on their side, they are more than enough for us to handle. Not to mention the Mystics! It seemed to me that Mystic woman called Nu Wa was secretly plotting my fate as well. We cannot sit and wait for our demise, son! You know that!"_

_"The will of the Mystics must not be crossed, Father!" The son stepped forward. "They represent the heavens, and they want us to unite. They do not want us to start wars with each other and kill each other like we had before!"_

_The man with the shoulder-cape and baton nodded. "He is right, my lord," he said. "The Mystics have willed us to be a peaceful race."_

_The father looked like he was about to burst. His cold eyes were flashing with fury, but then the woman came forward, exerting a most graceful bow to him._

_"Dear father-in-law," she said, her voice elegant as she was beautiful. "Please quiet your anger. I see that now you are arguing with my husband, but would it not be more fit to stop now and talk later? We could use other ways to solve this problem if you insist on my husband agreeing with you."_

_The father's eyes softened, and he nodded. "Your words are with wisdom," he said, now softly. "Let us stop this now."_

_He turned and walked out of sight._

_The son looked at his wife with silent thanks. She only smiled and inclined her head. The three of them turned and left, with the woman giving the man with the baton a meaningful nod._

_The scene then dispersed, and Pànduàn felt his mind begin to clear…_

* * *

><p>Pànduàn woke up with a start.<p>

He sat up in his bed, panting, with sweat beading on his forehead. He looked around. He was in his room in the palace of Cheng Du. Everything was dark. Dark as night.

He had been dreaming.

A cry came from the outside, cutting through the air. Alert, Pànduàn flipped out of bed, grabbing his cloak and wrapping it around him hastily. He ran for the outside, his nerves tight.

He broke into the open, the night air rushing upon him. He ran into the stone courtyard of the eastern palace wing, and what he saw puzzled him.

Himiko was standing there, eyes wide, face turned towards the heavens. Da Li was with her, as was the members of the handmaiden guard. He saw Xi He, the Nanman maiden, and Sanada Shizuka, the kunoichi who was the relative of Sanada Yukimura. He saw Li Hua and Mei Li. Liu Yin and Liu Yang were there, too. They were all staring at the sky, with looks of shock and surprise upon their faces.

"What's wrong here?" he asked.

"Pànduàn!" Himiko passed him a look before turning back towards the sky. "Look up!"

Pànduàn looked up. What he saw shocked him to the core.

It was the moon. It wasn't full yet, just barely, but everyone could see now that a dark shadow was slowly being flung across it like a mantle. A dark circle was coming into view, inch by inch, reddish in color. And it was slowly covering the moon.

Pànduàn gasped. There was no doubt now. Something was covering up the moon; he wasn't seeing things. He knew what it was.

A lunar eclipse.

He stared, wide-eyed, as the dark circle moved across the face of the moon, inch by inch, centimeter by centimeter. It was a lunar eclipse. And it certainly wasn't a good sign.

A shout came, and the sound of footsteps rang loud. A group of people had joined them. Pànduàn turned his head and saw that it was Lord Liu Bei, still in loose bed garbs, with his dark brown hair fully visible-accompanied by his brothers, Zhao Yun and Zhuge Liang. Sun Shang Xiang was clinging to his shoulder.

They too looked up, and gasped at the phenomenon.

The dark circle had almost covered up the entire moon by now. A dark, ominous shadow, devouring the pure-white light of the celestial body. And, before they knew it, everything went dark and the moon burnt clear.

It wasn't white now. It was red.

Blood red.

Suddenly, Pànduàn felt it. Menacing, ominous…it was all around him, in the air.

Evil power.

He knew it. I could feel the essence, feel this energy—the evil energy that came from none other than his archenemy. He was returning, rising…Pànduàn could almost hear his cruel, sadistic laugh, his raspy voice:

_I have come back, young fool._

Fear rose in his heart, but he fought it back, crushed it. He clenched his fist and raised it. White energy glowed from within like a starting fire, and he opened his palm. Light flooded out, destroying the evil essence in the air, forcing it back, blinding the people around him.

There seemed to be a cry of anguish in the air, piercing everyone's ears; then it subsided, and so did the light. Everything was clear again; the blood red moon shimmered. Then the red began to ebb away. Slowly, inch by inch, the dark circle moved away, disappeared, dispersed. It melted, clean away, and the real moon came back: white, pure, and holy.

There was a long moment of silence as everybody tried to comprehend what had just happened. The image of the horrible dark circle and the red moon flashed in their minds. But then it was broken.

"Unbelievable." It was Zhuge Liang. The strategist stepped forward, shaking his head. "I saw that there would be such an event…but it has come so early…"

Pànduàn turned to him, fixing him with his single eye. "You knew?"

"I watched the stars," Zhuge Liang said, matter-of-factly. "I saw in them that there would be a lunar eclipse in two weeks. But now it has come at least a week earlier than I previously saw. It has to mean something. Something not good."

"Indeed it does." Pànduàn said, gravely. "I could feel it…that essence…"

Himiko looked at him, fearful. "What?"

Pànduàn turned to her. "Something's happened."

Himiko shrank back, shaking, as Da Li wrapped her in her arms, her tails caressing the young girl's legs.

Pànduàn turned to Zhuge Liang and his lord.

"A red moon," he said. "and a dream…"

He fixed both men with his single-eyed gaze. "It's not a good omen. I'll tell you all tomorrow. This matter must be talked about behind closed doors."


	4. A Coming Storm

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Warriors Orochi, Dynasty Warriors, Pànduàn or his world. I only own Da Li and her buds. WO and DW go to KOEI, Pànduàn and his world go to the awesome Teddypro. Happy Holidays!

**Warriors Orochi: The Judgment of Heaven**

**Chapter 4: A Coming Storm**

* * *

><p>It was the next day—the day after the lunar eclipse.<p>

While the citizens of Cheng Du chatted about it outside the inner wall of the city, going their ways and wondering what the event might have meant, they were oblivious to the serious conference taking place within the private palace grounds. They knew nothing of what was echoing inside the palace rooms of their ruler, Lord Liu Bei...and it was a good thing they didn't.

Because if they knew, their teeth would be chattering and their blood would be running cold.

Everyone of importance in the Shu court and army had gathered at the main palace building, to hear what the young Dragon of Judgment had to say about the night before. Liu Bei, flanked by his brothers, sat on his wooden throne, with his wife sitting beside him. Zhuge Liang was standing to his left. The rest of the Five Tiger Generals were seated before him, as were the other officers and commanders of the Shu infantry. The members of the handmaiden guard were among them, too, with the small white figure of Himiko sitting next to Da Li. Pànduàn stood before them all, telling of the things he saw in his dream.

"I was visited by my parents," he said loudly, so everyone could hear, "They first congratulated me on my deeds and my life. But then they told me that they had come for another more urgent reason: They warned me that my enemy was returning."

Shock swept across the hall. Himiko choked and shrank into Da Li's arms. Everybody's eyes widened, their brows knotting into frowns. Of course they knew who the young warrior was talking about.

Zhao Yun, who was sitting with his fellow generals, spoke up. "Your enemy?" he asked. "As in the man who killed your family and perpetuated the Odigan War?"

Pànduàn nodded gravely. "Yes. It is him."

The officers gasped and exchanged looks. Some placed their hands on the handles of their swords, as if the evil man was going to appear any moment.

Liu Bei tugged on the end of his beard while Sun Shang Xiang shifted closer to him. "What else did your parents say?" he said.

"I asked them if they knew why he had made his comeback so soon, but they told me that they were not clear. They said that they were certain, however, that he was going to return in the most unexpected of ways."

That caught Zhuge Liang's attention. The strategist stepped forward, his feather fan on his chest.

"In the most unexpected of ways?" he echoed.

"Yes. My parents also told me that I should prepare for the worst." Pànduàn began to pace before his audience. "I swore to them that I would. After that they left, but before they did they showed me a vision."

The word "vision" seemed to draw everybody's attention. They all looked towards the young Master, patiently waiting for him to start.

Pànduàn took a deep breath. He still remembered what his mother had told him about the vision: _Do not disregard it. You must remember every detail._

He took a step forward and began.

"I was taken to a room," he said. "Not a room in this palace, but a palace of another kingdom, another land. It was decorated with tapestries of phoenixes. There seemed to be a conference happening in there, between three men and a woman. It was apparent that one man was a father, the other a son; the woman appeared to be the son's wife, and the third man I do not know. But the father was starting an argument with his son and daughter-in-law. He was trying to convince his son to start a conquest on the 'other kingdoms'."

Both Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang raised their eyebrows. "Tell us what they looked like," they said together.

"The father slightly resembled you, Lord Liu Bei, but he looked like a direct opposite of you," said Pànduàn, looking closely at the Lord of Shu. "He wore blue robes, had a mustache and beard like you, and his arms were crossed. His eyes were icy. His son looked like him, but his hair was in a pigtail and he wore a blue cape. His wife was Junoesque and the third man beside him carried a metal baton."

Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang frowned; they first looked at each other, then at Pànduàn. Sun Shang Xiang nodded, passing her husband a look of knowing. Zhang Fei growled in the back.

After some sort of silent conversation, both lord and strategist fixed their gazes on Pànduàn, serious looks upon their faces.

"Master Pànduàn," said Liu Bei. "The man you saw in your dream was Cao Cao, the Lord of Wei."

"The other three were his son Cao Pi, his strategist Guo Jia and his daughter-in-law Lady Zhen Ji," Zhuge Liang added.

The officers in the room again gasped and exchanged glances with each other. Pànduàn nodded slightly, realization crossing his face.

How could he not know?

Cao Cao, ruler of the northernmost kingdom of Wei, the kingdom closest to his home village and the largest empire in the Three Kingdoms. From what he knew, he was an ambitious man who had raised his son to be the same way; before the Great Merging, he had been Liu Bei's main archenemy, and his desire for conquest had been the very reason for which the kingdoms of Shu and Wu had united. Many people now said that he resembled Oda Nobunaga, the equally ambitious daimyo from Japan. And despite the land's current state of unity and friendliness, he was still a man to be feared…

He looked at Lord Liu Bei and his strategist. "Are you sure?"

"We are very certain," said Zhuge Liang. "It has to be him. No other man would look in that manner."

"What else did you see?" asked Liu Bei.

"From what I saw, his son disagreed with him," said Pànduàn. "he said to his father that attacking the other kingdoms would be betrayal, and that it would be against the will of the Mystics to do so."

"And?"

"It became a fight," Pànduàn continued. "At least it almost became one. But the woman, Zhen Ji, came forward and stopped it. She told her father-in-law that there could be other ways to solve that dispute. Then it ended, I woke up, and I came out and saw the eclipse."

He dipped his head. "I never knew this would happen so soon," he said. "But…I never expected it to be such a puzzle…this eclipse, this dream, this vision…they all must mean something. I must find out what this hidden message is…because if I don't find it out soon…"

"...The land will plunge into chaos again," finished Zhuge Liang.

Silence reigned for a brief moment before the Sleeping Dragon spoke up again.

"A storm is impending on all of us," he said to the gathered officers. "The peace of the land is threatened. But we must not stay unprepared. We must discern this threat and know what form it will come in. For only then shall we be able to overcome it. Gathered warriors, we must now help Master Pànduàn solve this mystery."

The officers nodded in unison.

Zhuge Liang turned to Pànduàn. "Would you like to tell us what you think of this dream, and how you understand it?"

"…I'll give it a shot." He stepped forward, facing the audience.

"My father told me that my enemy will return in the most unexpected of ways," he began. "I believe this has to do with the vision I received, of Cao Cao and his argument with his son. He spoke of conquest, and kingdoms. These kingdoms he mentioned must refer to Shu and Wu. He is planning to attack us."

"No doubt about that," growled Zhang Fei. Everybody looked to him. "I never saw anything good in that guy. He'd probably been planning this all along."

"Think before you speak, brother," said Guan Yu beside him. "Don't you remember how he helped us in our struggle against Orochi? He had been our friend!"

"Only because you once served him!" said Zhang Fei, angrily.

"That is not so. He was also generous enough to speak to Brother Liu Bei about the Odigan Rebels! He understood that working with us was the only way to save the land!"

"Well? Maybe he did that so he could come and backstab us later!"

"Quiet, you two!" Liu Bei raised a finger. "Enough of that. Let Pànduàn speak."

The two generals quieted down.

Pànduàn resumed his speech. "If Cao Cao is going to attack, then that has to be linked with the return of my enemy in some way…"

"In what way do you think this attack is related to your enemy's return?" asked Zhao Yun.

"Based on my knowledge of him, I don't see any way he could get Cao Cao to attack us for him. Even when he commanded the Odigan Rebels, the rebels had served him out of fear…"

"Do you think he could be blackmailing Cao Cao?" asked another officer.

"No. His son and daughter-in-law were with him. He could not have been blackmailed."

"Then could he be in disguise?" suggested Zhuge Liang.

"Good one. I believe so too." Pànduàn turned to him. "It seems like this is the only reasonable explanation now…though there is still one possibility, but it is highly unlikely to be."

"So you propose that he has disguised himself and joined Cao Cao's forces to influence him?"

"Yes."

"So this is a hidden threat," said Liu Bei. He rose from his throne, accompanied by his lady, and walked down the steps leading up to it. Coming to Pànduàn's side, he faced the gathered officers of the court.

"We must not let our friends in the other kingdoms go unprepared for this onslaught," he said, loud and clear, "We must warn them so they'll be ready. Wu must be informed first; they will then be able to warn the Samurai. Who volunteers to go and tell them of this?"

"I will!" said Guan Yu.

Everybody turned to him.

"I shall go and warn Wu," the Leader of the Five Tigers said. "My steed, Red Hare, is the swiftest horse in the land. The warning will be heard by them in no time if you let me go, brother!"

"You are not without reason, Yunchang," said Liu Bei. "Very well! You shall go and travel to Jingzhou, and talk to the Wu officer there. Tell him to carry the news to Lord Sun Jian immediately. But please be sure to take care!"

Guan Yu laughed. "Brother, you always worry about me. I am the mightiest of the Five Tigers. No-one will stop me, especially when I am going to warn a neighboring kingdom of an impending threat!"

"My worry might be of naught," replied Liu Bei, "but I still pray that the Mystics be with you. Please stay safe."

Guan Yu laughed again and strode out of the room, polearm in hand, his beard tossing behind him.

"Good journeys, Brother!" cried Zhang Fei.

Liu Bei sighed and turned to Pànduàn, Sun Shang Xiang still standing with him. "This has been a most tiring session, but it ends with a result," he said. "Thank you for lending your wisdom in this matter, Master Pànduàn. I can never thank you enough."

"I'm only doing what I must do," the Dragon of Judgment replied, matter-of-factly. "Even though I have killed my enemy once, it does not cease to be my duty to keep him from carrying out his evil intentions."

The Lord of Shu nodded and turned to the assembled officers. "This session is now ended," he said. "You may all go now, with the exception of Zhao Yun. I need to speak with him along with Lord Zhuge Liang and my wife."

The officers rose and left, one by one, talking to one another about the things they had just heard. Zhao Yun remained and walked up to his lord.

"What is it that you want to speak to me, my lord?" he asked.

"Come with me and my wife. This is private talk." Liu Bei gestured for him to follow. "Kongming, come with me too. We must discuss this elsewhere."

"Why is this so secret, my lord?" asked Sun Shang Xiang. "I believe Pànduàn has a right to—"

"No, my lady."

The four of them walked away towards the balcony, with Liu Bei gesturing for Pànduàn to leave. Befuddled, the Dragon of Judgment walked away, thinking about what was the secret conversation for a change.

* * *

><p>Himiko sat in the garden by herself.<p>

It wasn't just any garden. It was Liu Bei's garden of peach blossoms, the very trees that surrounded him when he first swore his oath of brotherhood with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. To him, it had always been his special place. Himiko now sat there, with the blooming, delicate pink flowers drifting around her. It was almost like the forest back at the Shu-Wu border, only that the leaves were replaced with petals. They littered the stone ground and floated in the air; they were everywhere. This was their world.

Normally, Himiko would feel rather scared being here, as this was supposed to be Liu Bei's special place, not hers. He was supposed to come here when he was particularly troubled, or sad, or emotional. But oddly enough, he wasn't here. He was elsewhere. Considering what had just been discussed inside the palace hall, though, she reasoned that he was bound to come here...sooner or later.

Himiko sighed. She had never expected for things to be going the way they were now. She had been anticipating the Mid-Autumn celebrations so much, to share her happiness with Pànduàn under the full moon…but now his enemy was returning, and somehow he had used trickery to gain himself a most feared ally. The land wasn't going to be peaceful anymore for a long time. She couldn't bear the thought of doing battle again, watching people die, killing each other. She couldn't imagine it.

She was thinking about all of this, when suddenly she felt something furry against her leg. She looked up, and almost jumped. Da Li was right beside her, looking just as depressed as she was.

"Uh, hello?" she said, rather testily.

Da Li whirled around. "Huh, you discovered me that quickly? I thought you wouldn't notice."

"Your tails gave you away," said Himiko, smiling a little.

Da Li flushed, noting how it referred to the legends told about her kind. "Haha…I guess they did."

The two girls sat there, silent for a long time.

The sudden sound of hooves on stone, and they both looked up, their eyes widening.

It was Guan Yu, with his tall red steed trotting behind him. Both man and horse were a most intriguing sight; the stallion was clad in golden armor, muscular, with a wild, fiery-colored mane. Guan Yu had his famous polearm in his other hand; he looked ready for his coming journey.

Himiko raised an eyebrow when she saw him. "I thought you had already left," she said.

The Tiger General scoffed. "How would I be leaving so quickly," he said, "especially when I am planning to talk with you?"

"…Talk with me?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Oh, I just wanted to say a quick farewell to you," said Guan Yu, smiling. "Red Hare might be the swiftest steed, but even still I might not be here for many days to come. I just thought it would be fit if I wished you some good luck on my way out."

Himiko laughed a little, with Da Li making a face behind her. "Wishing me good luck? Well, considering what is about to come, you should. I'll probably need it."

"Of course you will," replied Guan Yu, stroking his beard. "But there's one more thing. I would like you to meet some people."

"Some people?"

Guan Yu nodded. He turned over his shoulder and gave a sharp whistle.

At first nothing happened, but then the sound of heavy footsteps could be heard on the stone ground. Both Himiko and Da Li turned to see a young boy aged about eighteen show up. He had spiky hair and wore a green headband around his head, which bore a metal crest imprinted with the Chinese character for "Guan". His clothing looked a lot like Guan Yu's, with identical armor and shoulder plates, and there was a very large and heavy-looking sword on his belt. His face looked like Guan Yu's only that it looked at least twenty years younger.

Behind him, sitting high on a tree branch, was another boy also around eighteen years of age, but he looked much more casual. He wore a green top, white shirt, and white pants. A plate of armor was on his chest, strapped with leather belts. He wore green bracers and his hair was in a top-knot, adorned with what seemed to be several small white flowers.

The first boy ran forward, falling to his knees and clasping his left fist in the warrior's address. "Father!" he cried.

Guan Yu gestured for him to rise. He turned to Himiko.

"Son, this is Himiko," he introduced.

The boy gave her the same address. "Greetings, Lady Himiko," he said. "My name is Guan Ping. I am the son of Guan Yu!"

"Uh…hi, Guan Ping," said Himiko, smiling.

"Hi Himiko," said the boy on the tree branch. "My name is Guan Suo. I'm also the son of Guan Yu."

Himiko nodded to him. "Hi there, too!"

Da Li just shrugged, perhaps to herself.

Himiko turned to Guan Yu. "These are your sons?" she asked.

"Of course they are," he replied. "I called for them to meet you not only for you to be introduced to them, but for another thing as well."

He kneeled down, so he was eye-level with the Shaman Queen.

"Now that I am leaving, I may not be able to come back and aid you against your mate's enemy for some time. In the meantime, I ask of you to rely on my sons and go to them if the situation is dire and you are separated from Pànduàn for some reason. I am doing this so you can remain safe."

"…Guan Yu?" Himiko leaned back. "Are you doing this…for _me_?"

"I am," he said. "I will try to come back as soon as possible, hopefully with some Wu troops as well, but I know from the past war that things may happen and you might need protection if Pànduàn does not happen to be with you."

"…Guan Yu, are you _that_ worried for Himiko?" asked Da Li, speaking up. "You know that I can protect her as well. I promise I'll stick with her if she's in trouble!"

"Of course you will protect her too, Da Li, but things can happen that are way beyond your expectations. You and Himiko need to trust me in that."

He stood up, turning to his sons.

"My sons," he said. "I shall be gone for a few days at least, and I suppose you all know of the coming storm and the return of Lord Pànduàn's enemy. While I am not present, I want you two to be prepared to protect Himiko if she is separated from her mate, and cooperate with Da Li. I am letting you two do this to ensure her safety. Is that clear?"

"We are clear, Father!" cried Guan Ping, with Guan Suo nodding in the back. "We shall protect Lady Himiko if need be. She shall come to no harm!"

Guan Yu nodded. "That's good. I leave this all up to you." He looked down back at Himiko, whose shoulders were being caressed by Da Li.

He smiled. To Himiko's utter surprise, he reached out a hand and scruffled her hair.

"Good luck, Himiko," he said. Pulling on his steed's reins, he turned and walked away, disappearing in the garden's rain of petals.

For a long moment, everything was silent. The petals fell, and the breeze blew.

It was Guan Suo's chuckling that broke the tranquility.

"Looks like Father caught you off guard, huh?" he giggled.

Himiko turned tomato-red.

"Ha, he really did!" The boy laughed, doubling over at her expression.

"Suo, Stop it!" Guan Ping shot him a serious look.

Da Li sighed. Obviously, she had seen this happen more than once.

"Just leave him be," she said. "It's not like he'll have to be serious right away. We're not being attacked _right now_."

"I know, but still…" Guan Ping let out a breath of exasperation. "He should know some basic manners, like how it's not nice to make people blush like that!"

"It's alright, Guan Ping. You know him. He'll become as serious as he can be when it comes to fights."

"Let's just hope he will," he muttered. He turned to her. "How come you remind me so much of Xing Cai?"

Da Li flushed. "It's just my understanding of him. Xing Cai is much more sensible than me."

Guan Ping gave a little laugh. "Yes she is."

Himiko looked at him, then at Da Li, then at Guan Suo. She now gave the boy on the tree a glare of annoyance.

"Heavens forbade, are those really flowers in his hair?" she said, frowning.

"Yes they are," said Guan Suo, grinning. "That's why I've earned the nickname 'Hua Guan Suo'. Not bad, right?"

"Are you serious?"

"I am! 'Hua' means 'flower', by the way."

Himiko made a face. _No wonder he is so annoying,_ she thought.

She stared at the little white blossoms strung in his hair, a bit relieved that they weren't one of the pink, girly flowers on the trees. Then her eyes went wide.

"Flowers…" she murmured. "Symbols of love…"

She suddenly jolted up from her seat, flinging Da Li into surprise.

"Something's wrong!" she cried, starting to run out of the garden. "Something's got to be wrong!"

She dashed away.

Da Li's tails twitched as she looked at Guan Ping with confusion. He returned the gaze. Guan Suo stopped grinning as he raised an eyebrow, not understanding the Shaman Queen's reaction.

"What in the world was wrong with me?" he asked.

"We have to find out," said Da Li. "Something isn't right with her!"

She dashed after Himiko, with the two sons of Guan Yu following closely behind her.

* * *

><p>Pànduàn stood on the balcony of the palace's eastern wing.<p>

He had just returned from the main palace building, back from the gathering of warriors and the meeting. His arms were on the wooding railing, and he was staring into the distance, thinking.

Memories—both of his dream and of his past experiences—flashed by in his mind. He remembered the ghostly figures of his deceased parents, with his father telling him of his enemy's return. He remembered the last moments of his final battle with his rival; he recalled the blinding burst of light, the horrible screech. He saw last night's lunar eclipse, the terrifying dark circle, the blood-red moon. They replayed in his head, mixing, becoming a jumble of images he could not comprehend, throwing him into confusion.

He closed his eye and cleared his thoughts, banishing the mix of scenes in the same way he had banished the evil presence the night before, and thought about it all over again.

Never. Never had he expected for things have happened so quickly, so swiftly…

He knew his enemy was bound to return. He knew that his essence was still there, and that as long as it remained, he would return. That was how he had returned last time. But so soon? Barely a year had passed since he had slain him; barely a year, and he was already returning, already preparing to carry out his revenge? How could it be?

He did not know, and neither did his parents. They had told him that they weren't clear. And he was frustrated about it.

Why? Why couldn't he know? Why did the land have to plunge back into chaos so quickly?_ Why?_

Pànduàn clenched his teeth and crushed his rising rage. He had to crush it. He knew what would happen if he didn't.

He calmed down and thought about it again.

_Why?_

That could not be answered—at least not now. But he had been told that his enemy would return in the most unexpected of ways. Based on what he had figured out, his enemy had.

He probably knew that he had to start in the shadows this time, as he was severely weakened; moreover, the last time he had made his actions known, he had almost met his doom. He had started this time by putting on a mask; he had masqueraded his way into the kingdom of Wei, poisoning the thoughts of its ruler. And now he was going to control the Kingdom of the Phoenix like a puppet, influencing Lord Cao Cao's every decision, taking his vengeance by letting the empires of the land swallow each other while he smiled behind his false face.

Pànduàn made a fist.

_No._ He wasn't going to let this happen. He wasn't going to let his enemy succeed in his evil plan. He would never allow it. There were flaws in his rival's plan; Cao Cao's son opposed him, as did his strategist. If these people were against him, then he could be brought down.

Pànduàn nodded. This could be accomplished; he wouldn't fail. Not when he was now a full Master. Not when he had the support of the Kingdoms of the Dragon and Tiger; not when he had the help of the fearsome Samurai. Not when he had the love of Himiko.

He smiled and blushed at the last one. Himiko. His love, his soulmate. How could he fail with her?

The sudden sound of footsteps slashed through his thoughts and he opened his eye, looking up. He raised his eyebrows.

It was Mei Li standing there, clad in her red uniform, her single eye looking into his. Her bronze coins chimed at her waist as she came near. To Pànduàn's surprise, she held in her hands a small, white flower.

"Mei Li?" he asked, turning to her. "What are you doing here?"

The girl walked up to him without answering. She dipped her head. Pànduàn could see her shyness, feel her anxiety. It had only been a few days since he had met her, but he knew now that she was an introvert who felt uncomfortable when being around people.

Mei Li bit her lip, trying to contain her fear.

"Pànduàn," she said, softly, "I…I just wanted to say…"

"Say what?"

She held up her flower, as if to offer it to him.

"I…I really like you."

"…you like me?"

Mei Li nodded, still holding out the flower.

Not sure of what to do, Pànduàn accepted the little white blossom. "Uh…thank you," he said.

Mei Li looked up, a slight smile on her face.

"I really like you," she said again. "I'm not kidding. I've been hearing so many stories about you…how you saved the land from the Odigans…I just couldn't stop myself from admiring you."

"Of course," said Pànduàn, smiling a bit, "but that was just me doing what I was supposed to."

"You're also so modest," Mei Li continued, "Just like Lord Liu Bei."

"Me? Like Lord Liu Bei?" Pànduàn laughed, shaking his head. "Well, maybe. He's also a humble man."

"I…I just wanted to give you this flower, so you'll know I like you," said Mei Li, "It was the least I could think of…"

Pànduàn looked at the little plant, turning it this way and that. "Where did you get this?"

"Uh…I just picked it in a meadow somewhere," she said, flushing. "Guan Suo was wearing it in his hair, and I thought it looked so pretty…"

_Bam._

The door to the balcony flew open. Both Pànduàn and Mei Li looked up, surprised.

Standing in the doorway, huffing and puffing, was Himiko.

The Shaman Queen looked at Mei Li, then at her mate. She looked between them for a moment, the realization coming into her face. Then, all at once, she burst.

Whatever happened next was just as chaotic as the coming storm.


	5. First Strike

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Warriors Orochi, Dynasty Warriors or Pànduàn and his world. I only own Da Li and her buds. WO and DW belong to KOEI, Pànduàn and his world belong to Teddypro. Happy New Year, guys! It's 2012!

**Warriors Orochi: The Judgment of Heaven**

**Chapter 5: First Strike**

* * *

><p>The autumn wind had gotten colder. It was now sweeping across the balcony on the palace of Cheng Du, bringing with it a chill; it blew past the figures of Liu Bei and Sun Shang Xiang, ruffling their hair, feeling cold on their faces. The two of them were looking out over the wooden railing, hand in hand, observing the things that were happening below them.<p>

Liu Bei coughed, tugging on the scarf that he now wore around his neck. He watched as his younger brother Zhang Fei and his right-hand general Zhao Yun prepared their men for a mock battle down below. Zhuge Liang was watching them at the sides. He couldn't help noticing how differently the two Tiger Generals warmed up their troops.

Zhang Fei was being a downright brute. His preferred way of warm-up was a total smash-up—in which the soldiers under him were his unfortunate victims. The poor men would try to take him down, only to be beaten back or bashed onto the ground. Liu Bei watched, his heart screaming with pity, as the grizzled warrior held up a hapless fellow with both hands and threw him down, grinning widely. The tortured man barely managed to get up, holding a hand to his swollen face, and limped away. His friends choked in fear and stepped backward, to which Zhang Fei yelled at them, coaxing them to come at him.

Zhuge Liang was shaking his head, giving a sigh of pure exasperation. It was apparent that he also did not approve of Zhang Fei's brutal method of training his troops. If he had wanted to, he could've plunged his face into his fan to show his contempt, but he wisely refrained from doing so.

Liu Bei copied his gesture, sighing at the brashness of his younger oath brother. He loved him as an older brother would, but sometimes he just couldn't understand his behavior. Why would a man with a good heart inside love to beat his men up as a hobby? It was a frustrating question that sometimes prompted him to slap a hand into his own face.

But of course he refrained from doing that, too. Just as his strategist was not a man to face-_fan_ so easily, he was not a lord to face-palm so easily.

His wife seemed to sense his intention. "It's alright," she said. "Just leave him be. He's your brother, after all."

"I know, my lady," he replied. "But still I am baffled as to why he would act in such a way…"

He sighed again and shifted his attention to Zhao Yun.

The Young Dragon was using a way that was much more nonviolent. His men were gathered around him in a circle, and he was talking to them, possibly rallying them to put up a good fight—even if it was a mock one. The soldiers were absorbed in his speech, eyes wide, occasionally nodding. They listened to him as he spoke about Zhang Fei's might, but also of his weaknesses and how to use that against him. He was making sure that every one of them would be as skillful and alert as an elite officer.

Liu Bei smiled and nodded at that. He had always admired Zhao Yun for his intelligence; the young warrior was not only a potent fighter but also a very smart man. Zhuge Liang often praised him, too, and so did the other Shu officers and warriors of the land. Even though Zhang Fei was his brother, Liu Bei secretly hoped that Zhao Yun would win the fight. He would like Zilong to show his brother that beating up soldiers was definitely _not_ the right way to toughen them up.

Sun Shang Xiang nudged him, giving him a sharp glance. "My lord," she said again. "Why do you like to keep _her_ with you so often?"

Liu Bei blinked, turning to his left. He mentally slapped himself. How could he have forgotten about _her_ presence?

Before him was a teenage girl about seventeen or eighteen years of age, with long, reddish wavy hair. She wore a green top and skirt, green bracers, and a green headband decorated with a large yellow flower. A red belt was around her waist with two long vine-like ribbons hanging from it, strung with more yellow blossoms, and she wore fake eyebrows that looked like blades of grass on the edge of her eyes. She held in one hand what resembled a large metal disk on a string, surrounded by all sorts of rather nasty-looking blades. There was something about her expression and her face that made her look annoyingly cat-like.

She cocked her head when he looked at her. "Why are you looking at me like that, Lord Liu Bei?" she asked.

"Oh, it's nothing," he replied quickly, turning back to his lady. He almost laughed at the way she was looking at him—with one eyebrow raised and a tinge of suspicion.

"It's not me keeping her around," he said. "I'm_ allowing_ her to be around. What, you think she's planning to steal me?"

"No, I was just asking!" Sun Shang Xiang gave the girl a quick look. "She would never in a thousand years plan to steal you. Troll you, more like."

"She doesn't troll me," said Liu Bei. He ran his hands down his wife's arms. "She's grateful to me. It was I who allowed her to join us so she could stay with Guan Suo. Is that right, Bao Sanniang?"

He gave her a wink, to which she laughed.

"Yes it is," she chirped.

Sun Shang Xiang sighed. "You don't know how many weird looks you receive when these two are around you," she said. "Most people regard her and her mate to be annoying."

"Well, aren't you about her age?"

Sun Shang Xiang rolled her eyes. "My lord, I totally deny that you are thirteen years my senior."

"Hello there, my lord and ladies."

All three of them looked up. Pànduàn was walking towards them, smiling, with Himiko at his side.

"Did I hear Lady Shang Xiang saying that Lord Liu Bei was no older than her?" he said casually.

"Oh, no, no," said Liu Bei, tugging on his beard as if to prove something. "She was just joking."

Pànduàn laughed. "I was just joking, too, my lord. Of course you're not your lady's age."

They all laughed along with him.

"Say, Master Pànduàn," said Liu Bei. "Has Himiko gotten over with what she did yesterday? With Mei Li?"

"I have," said Himiko. "I'm sorry, Lord Liu Bei and Lady Shang Xiang. I didn't mean to be so brash."

"It's alright," said Pànduàn. "You know well that nobody can replace you in my heart."

The Lord and Lady of Shu exchanged glances.

Himiko nodded, looking past them.

"Hey," she said, "Who's that?"

"I'm Bao Sanniang!" said the cat-like maiden in the back, grinning. "But you can call me 'Bao' for short. I'm Guan Suo's mate!"

"Wow, really?" Himiko looked at her sideways. "What's that thing you're holding?"

"That's my weapon," said Bao Sanniang. "It's a bladed yo-yo. Cool, right?"

"_Yo-yo_?" Himiko raised an eyebrow.

"Yep."

"Hmm…nice, but I don't think it'll be much compared with…" she raised a hand. Instantly, two white roundish objects with hole-like mouths materialized around her, painted with closed eyes and a yawning expression.

"Whoa, whoa!" Bao Sanniang leaned back, staring at the strange contraptions around the Shaman Queen. "Did you just summon ghosts?"

"These aren't ghosts," said Himiko. "These are my dogus, my Goddesses of Light. They can shoot energy."

"Wow. Can you show me?"

"No. If I did I might destroy something."

Bao Sanniang's shoulders sagged. "Anything else?"

Himiko raised her hand further, and a second pair of dogus appeared. "Enough?"

"Enough!"

Himiko lowered her hand and all four apparitions disappeared.

Bao Sanniang chuckled. "Those were the coolest things I've ever seen," she said. "I can't wait to see them in action."

"My lords and ladies!"

A soldier, frantic and dressed in peasant's garbs, suddenly came running towards them. He ground to a halt before them, panting heavily.

"What is it?" asked Liu Bei.

"My lord…an army has been sighted outside the Southeastern Gate!" the soldier exclaimed. "There seems to be about a thousand or so men…they bear the flag of Wei!"

The kingdom's name seemed to send a shock through the all of them. Pànduàn gasped. Liu Bei frowned. Himiko clapped her hands on her mouth, and Sun Shang Xiang did the same. Bao Sanniang raised her eyebrows.

"Who is their leader?" asked Pànduàn.

"I don't know…but it has to be one of the Five Generals of Wei!"

Liu Bei frowned even further if his brow could've allowed it. Apparently he knew what that meant.

"Raise the alarm!" he commanded.

The soldier nodded and ran away. In moments the sound of the alarm was ringing, sending its echoes through the palace.

There was a great sound of scrambling from below. Pànduàn and Himiko looked over the railing. Men were running everywhere. Zhang Fei had stopped beating up his soldiers and was taking his rather relieved troops away, with a wide grin on his face. Zhao Yun was taking his soldiers in the other direction. Zhuge Liang was heading for the main palace building, undisturbed by the flurry of people.

Liu Bei turned to them. "We must go to the Southeastern Gate," he said. "At once!"

"Yes, my lord," said Pànduàn. He gave Himiko a quick glance, took her by the hand, and followed the lord and ladies of Shu as they headed away.

"Kirshun," he muttered under his breath. "You asked for this."

* * *

><p>Within moments they were all on the walls above the Southeastern Gate. Zhao Yun and Da Li had joined them on the way and were now standing beside them.<p>

The seven of them looked over the wall at the scene below.

It was a grand force of about a thousand men—just as the soldier had said. They were all clad in blue clothing and armor, armed with spears and dagger-axes. Some of them were mounted on horses, carrying long, deadly pikes. But it was certain that the all of them were preparing to fight under one standard—to fight under the large, blue flag that flew above them. On it was imprinted a large black symbol: _Wei._

_Wei._ The Kingdom of the Phoenix, the Northern Empire; the mightiest force in the Three Kingdoms with the biggest and most imposing army. The former enemy of the Dragon and Tiger; the equivalent of the Japanese Oda. And now its soldiers were right under the walls of Cheng Du, ready for an impending battle.

Pànduàn shaded his eye and peered at the blue-clad army, searching among them. He lowered his hand and sighed when his scrutiny brought nothing. There was no sign of a leader, of a man who stood out from the rest. But if a commander was absent, then where could he be…?

He turned to Liu Bei, who was standing to his right.

"My lord," he said. "There is no leader with them. No commanding officer of any rank."

The ruler frowned, tugging at the end of his beard. "No leader?"

"Yes…I feel that this may mean something."

The two men looked over the walls again, with the others gathering in around them.

"He could be hiding," said Da Li, shouldering her teardrop chakrams. "You know, standing behind this lot so he can surprise us later."

"It is obvious that he is," said Zhao Yun. His gaze scanned the ranks of men below. "I think this might be a part of a larger plot."

"I believe so too," said Pànduàn. "If there is no leader, this could very well be a lure. Or something to cover him up so we can't see him."

He looked up, trying to see beyond the battalion before them. But he saw nothing but a thick mist and the ghostly figures of trees in the distance.

"If the commander is choosing to hide behind these soldiers, then he must be very resourceful," He said. "We all know that there is a forest facing this gate. He may be lying in wait there."

"Resourceful?" Both Liu Bei and Zhao Yun turned to the Dragon of Judgment.

"Yes. Resourceful." Pànduàn placed his hands on his hips. "If he is not hiding behind this legion and is elsewhere, then he is also resourceful at that. He is using our uncertainty of his location to his advantage."

"Could it be that Cao Cao has come himself?" asked Liu Bei.

"It's possible. But at the same time, it is not."

"Then if it is not him, who could it be?"

"There's only one way to find out," said Pànduàn. He turned to the Lord of Shu.

"This is going to be a huge gamble," he said, his tone serious. "We must make sure we are ready. My lord, how are the preparations?"

"Zhuge Liang is assembling our forces. They should be ready within a minute." The ruler turned to his right-hand man. "Zilong. Are your men ready?"

"Yes, my lord," he replied.

Liu Bei turned to his wife. "And your guard, my lady?"

"I have given orders for them to join this battle," she said, nodding.

"Good…Master Pànduàn, I believe we are ready." Liu Bei looked at the young warrior, a meaningful look in his chestnut-colored eyes.

Pànduàn returned the gaze and looked back at him.

"Normally it would be you making this command, but now with things as they are, I need your full cooperation," he said. "Inform the troops. Tell them that we are attacking this battalion…_now_."

* * *

><p>The large wooden doors of the Southeastern Gate slowly swung open. The Wei soldiers tensed, raising their weapons. They knew what that meant. The enemy was coming out, and the battle was going to begin.<p>

They gripped the handles of their blades, ready to charge forward, when a single mounted figure appeared out of the now-open gates. The men's eyes first widened, then widened even further with stark fear—for now, charging towards them with brutal fury, was a grizzled man with a mane-like beard holding a wicked pike. He roared a battle cry and barged into their ranks, swinging his weapon, crushing them under his sheer might. The soldiers' hands started to wobble as they shivered and backed away, awed and utterly terrified at the beast they were now facing.

Zhang Fei laughed hoarsely as he knocked away a hapless cavalier, watching as the helpless man thudded onto the ground and was trampled by his own steed. He swung his pike again, and another five men were sent flying off their feet, crashing into the blades and bodies of their own allies.

"That's what my smash-ups are for!" he shouted. "Brother Liu Bei, you fail to see how well it works!"

The Wei soldiers choked and whimpered at his voice, and some started to run away. Zhang Fei roared with laughter and began to smash his way after them.

Himiko and Da Li watched him, silently, as the Tiger General started to cause total carnage among the enemy troops.

Da Li smiled. "It's freaky, isn't it?" she said.

"Yeah," said Himiko. She had her dogus floating around her, ready to charge with her into the fray.

The fox maiden raised her teardrop chakrams, the blades gleaming in the gray daylight. She turned her head over to look at the Shaman Queen, a grin upon her face.

"Do you remember, Himiko?" she said. "That time in the forest where we first met, when I told you that I pulled on Guan Yu's beard to overcome him?"

Himiko looked back at her. "Yeah," she replied. "So what?"

"I said that to you because I already saw the potential for a great friend in you," said Da Li. "It was only for the first time, and I already saw it. You know what? I was absolutely right. You've become one of the greatest buds I've ever met!"

Himiko's eyes widened. "Really?"

"One would be worried if I didn't think so!"

Himiko laughed. "You sure know how to talk, Da Li!"

Da Li flushed. "There _was_ a time when I could say absolutely nothing, just to tell you," she said. "Well, that was long ago. Himiko, I'm promising you that once Guan Yu gets back, I'll demonstrate to you that pulling on his beard _is_ the best way to overcome him. Only that all the poor guys before had been too scared to think it up!"

"Of course. I'll be looking forward to that," said Himiko, smiling.

Da Li smiled back. "Let's go, then!"

With that, the two of them charged forward, plunging themselves into the chaos conjured up by the beastliness of Zhang Fei.

* * *

><p>"Raaaah!"<p>

Liu Bei heard it. He spun around, lashing out with his sword, the Gold Moon Dragon. The gleaming blade slashed the Wei soldier in the stomach and he stumbled backwards, falling into one of his startled friends.

Liu Bei took the chance. He charged forward, driving his sword into the second soldier's abdomen. He choked and fell, his soul fleeing his body.

A chorus of slaughter arose as a disk-like object suddenly flew into the enemy ranks behind, shearing its way through them. A whole row of men were knocked down, their lives dashed out, and the thing whizzed out of view. Liu Bei looked over his shoulder, just in time to see his wife catch one of her chakrams, grinning widely at him.

"Did you think your sword would be so great?" she taunted.

He scoffed. "You may have your rings of death, my lady, but I am not a warrior to go with a single weapon!"

He jumped into the air, and to the astonishment of all, drew out a second blade—seemingly from nowhere. He smashed back down, his dual blades digging into the ground, stunning the enemy soldiers and causing them to momentarily lose their balance. Sun Shang Xiang gasped as her husband proceeded to finish them off with a spinning attack, taking them out with both his swords.

He turned to face her again, this time with a smile on his face. "How's that?"

"Whoa, whoa," she said, stepping back. "You didn't tell me that you were hiding another sword there. Where was it?"

Slight mischief slid into the lord's expression. "I won't tell you," he said.

Then he dashed away.

Sun Shang Xiang sighed and rolled her eyes. "My lord," she said. "I _absolutely_ deny that you are thirteen years my senior!"

* * *

><p>Zhuge Liang heard the comment from below and chuckled. It seemed that his lord still carried a hint of his youth. But he quickly put that aside and focused on the task at his hands.<p>

He had been ordered to keep watch of the battle and look for any signs of the mystery commander. To date, there was still no trace of him. Pànduàn had hypothesized that he may have used the forest as a hideout, but it was equally possible that he was elsewhere, probably planning on interrupting the battle by making his entrance from the sides. Zhuge Liang was prepared for that. His wife was now standing by on the sidelines, her Juggernauts ready to go. Recently she had been working to upgrade the machines' flamethrower mechanisms to catch up with his arbalest.

Zhuge Liang chuckled again. He had improved his invention so she could improve hers, and now thanks to that her Juggernauts have become even more effective. In a way, he was using the friendly competition between him and Yue Ying to improve both their creations, thus ensuring a better chance of victory for Shu. Now was the time to see what this strategy has brought.

"My lord!"

A Shu soldier ran up to him. "A second force has been sighted—it's approaching from the right!"

_Just as Pànduàn thought, _mused Zhuge Liang. He smiled and turned to the soldier. "Tell Lady Yue Ying to order her Juggernauts on the right flank to start moving immediately," he said. "Xing Cai and Lady Shang Xiang's guards should be told to stay back in case the enemy has a way to repel the machines."

"Yes, my lord!" The soldier ran off to carry out his task.

Zhuge Liang nodded and waved his fan. "Whoever you are out there, you are certainly to be scorched."

* * *

><p>The Wei soldiers of the second battalion charged forward, holding their spears up high. The battle was drawing closer; they could see their brothers fighting against the green-clad forces of Shu with their own ferocity. It filled them with excitement and they ran even faster.<p>

Suddenly, however, they slowed and frowned in confusion. Before them, blocking their way, were a row of strange contraptions resembling large wooden tigers. A woman with flowing red hair and a dagger-ax was standing atop one of them, smirking.

She raised her scythe-like weapon and pointed it forward. "Charge!" she said.

Instantly the machines began to roll forward, closing in on them like real tigers. The soldiers realized what they were facing and began to quake with fear. They yelped as one of the automatons shot out a burst of flame from its carved mouth, roasting them.

"J-Juggernauts!" they screamed.

Yue Ying smiled. Obviously they have never tasted the might of these war machines before.

She jumped down from the Juggernaut she was on, raising her dagger-ax and plunging it into a Wei soldier's chest. She shook the body off the blade and charged forward, flinging herself into the fray.

The Wife of the Sleeping Dragon was not only an inventor, but a fighter too.

* * *

><p>Himiko jumped, just in time for the soldier's blade to slide under her. She somersaulted in mid-air, pushing her dogus forward. The twin white contraptions shot out beams of fiery energy, burning the men below to a crisp.<p>

The Shaman Queen landed on her feet and let her floating cannons swerve around her, firing round after round of energy balls. The foe soldiers yelped and ran for cover. The ducked, and as they did so Himiko caught a glance of the man she was looking for.

"Pànduàn!" she called.

The young warrior was initiating his own ferocity. He was almost a blur of movement as his sword, Black Phantom, cut down soldier after soldier. One of them tried to catch a gap in his motions and charge him, but there was a burst of white light and he fell to the ground. Pànduàn stopped, his blade glowing with a slight white aura. He knocked away another minion and turned to Himiko, smiling.

"Himiko!" he called back. "How did you find your way to me?"

"I don't know. I was just looking for you all over the place!"

"Is anybody else with you?" asked Pànduàn.

"Yes!" A new figure popped up. The blades of her teardrop chakrams were stained with blood.

"Ah, Da Li!" Pànduàn grinned and nodded. "It's such a pleasure to be seeing you out here!"

"Same goes to you," said the fox maiden gleefully. She leapt into the air above a confused Wei soldier and came crashing down on him, bringing him down in one go. Another attempted to thrust at her, but she whirled around and drove one of her chakrams into his stomach.

"Disgusting work, I know, but sorry!" she said, pulling the tip of her weapon out of the body. "Hope you have a nice time in heaven. By the Mystics, it'll be _forever_ until I join you!"

Pànduàn laughed. "You do know how to be casual in these matters," he remarked.

"Well, aren't you casual in these things too?" she replied, donking yet another soldier on the head. "Believe me, there was a time when I absolutely couldn't bring myself to kill anyone!"

"Raaaah!"

A Wei soldier appeared, charging towards Da Li with rage on his face. Before she had time to react, a disk-like object came smashing into him from the side and dragged him away.

Bao Sanniang jumped into the picture, her attire looking very inappropriate and out-of-the-place among the flurry of death and weapons. She grinned as she drew her bladed yo-yo in, the black disk stained with blood.

"See?" she chirped. "I have as much a right to be here as anybody else!"

Da Li turned to her. "Why, Bao-girl," she huffed. "Thank you sooo much for saving my tails!"

The maiden smiled back. "Who would want your tails ruined?" She spun around, putting out her yo-yo which rotated like a deadly mechanical razor. It cut its way through another rank of men and returned to her like an obedient pet.

Himiko sweat-dropped. "Uh…that is just too ironic."

Pànduàn chuckled nearby. "Don't you look a bit ironic too, Himiko?"

The Shaman Queen blushed. "No!" she said defiantly. "I'm a warrior too. I'll just show you all!"

She raised her hands and a second pair of dogus appeared. The four Goddesses of Light rose above the bewildered Wei soldiers and each shot out a beam of energy into the sky. In moments a relentless torrent of fiery comets rained down upon them, bombarding them and making craters everywhere.

Pànduàn gasped and ducked to avoid being hit. The comet shower subsided, and he raised his head to see piles of dead men and smoking ruin.

"What in the name of…" he looked at his mate in shock and surprise, and she glanced around herself, seemingly alarmed at the deed she just did.

Da Li and Bao Sanniang got up, shaking themselves off.

"Uh…Himiko," said the fox girl. "I think you just showed us all."

"…What did I just do?" cried Himiko, suddenly frantic.

"I don't know…and LOOK OUT!" shouted Pànduàn. He pointed his blade behind her and shot a beam of white energy. It hit the brute just in time and the man stumbled backwards, dropping the sword he was holding.

Himiko looked behind her. "Whoa," she breathed. "He almost got me!"

"Looks like you still have a teensy bit more to learn," said Bao Sanniang, smiling uneasily.

Himiko brushed herself off. "Looks like it," she muttered.

Pànduàn sighed with relief, still partially stunned at the feat his mate just accomplished.

_When did she become so powerful?_ He thought.

* * *

><p>"Argh!"<p>

The scream echoed in Liu Bei's ears as one of his swords took the soldier's life. He spun around to slash another, then crossed his blades in front of him as a spear attempted to stab him. He pushed it off and somersaulted backwards, taking out two more foes at once.

Sun Shang Xiang was still beside him. It was apparent that she had caught up with him after he had dashed off; she was now performing deathly acrobatics in front of the enemy. She did a cartwheel, flipped, and threw her chakrams like boomerangs, catching them as they returned from their deadly flights.

"Won't they ever stop coming?" she said, running up to him as he stabbed another soldier.

"I don't know," he said, looking around. The enemy didn't seem to lessen in their numbers; they seemed driven by the deaths of their allies and were pushing in on them even harder. It almost reminded him of the Odigan troops back in the Odigan War: relentless and full of rage.

There was a sudden crashing as a large figure came through. Both husband and wife turned around, and their eyes lightened up with delight.

"Zhang Fei!" exclaimed Liu Bei.

The Tiger General gave his older brother a wink. "Good to see you here, Brother!"

"My lord!"

Liu Bei turned again. This time it was Zhao Yun. The Young Dragon was running towards him, swinging his spear to clear a space about him. He slammed it on the ground, stunning the soldiers, and came up to his lord.

"Zilong!" Liu Bei ran up to him. "How have things gone?"

"Lady Yue Ying's Juggernauts are successfully keeping the second battalion at bay!" he reported. "Everything is going well!"

"Good!" Liu Bei nodded. "We're going to win this battle!"

He looked around, suddenly noticing something strange. The enemy soldiers were running past him without attacking. They were receding. _R__etreating_. They seemed to be running away, as if there was no more fighting to be done.

"What's…happening?" he said.

Zhang Fei looked about in confusion. "What's going on? They're putting up a decent fight one moment and running away like cowards the next?"

Zhao Yun showed a similar look of questioning on his face. "My lord?"

The Wei soldiers continued to retreat. They rushed past him as if he didn't exist. Liu Bei looked after them. He frowned. They seemed to be making…for the forest.

The minions receded like the tide. They washed away to reveal that the four of them were standing right behind a row of large Juggernauts.

Liu Bei frowned further. Something was definitely not right…

The forest was now in view. It seemed to shimmer in the mist, eerily wavering in the distance. And then, all of a sudden…

It burst.


End file.
